The character 原 — “original”: how to write it and what it means
original; plain
The Chinese character 原 is read yuán and means “original; plain”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 原
原 has 10 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 原, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 原 is made of
A spring beneath a cliff 厂 — the source. It hints at the sound of 愿 yuàn.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 原
- 原谅forgiveHSK 4
- 原来former; it turns outHSK 4
- 原因reason, causeHSK 4
- 原有original, pre-existingHSK 5
- 原则principleHSK 5
- 原本originally, at firstHSK 6
- 原先originally, at first; formerHSK 6
- 原料raw materialHSK 6
- 草原steppe, grasslandHSK 6
- 高原plateau, highlandHSK 6
- 原理principle (of operation), basisHSK 6
- 还原restore to the original stateHSK 6
- 原始primitive; originalHSK 6
- 原材料raw materialsHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 原?
原 has 10 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 原 mean?
原 means “original; plain”. It appears in 原谅 (“forgive”), 原来 (“former”), 原因 (“reason”), 原有 (“original”).
How do you pronounce 原?
原 is read yuán. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 原 have?
10 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 原 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free