The character 年 — “year”: how to write it and what it means
year
The Chinese character 年 is read nián and means “year”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 年
年 has 6 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 年, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
Words with 年
- 今年this yearHSK 1
- 明年next yearHSK 1
- 去年last yearHSK 1
- 过年celebrate the New YearHSK 2
- 年轻youngHSK 3
- 前年year before lastHSK 3
- 后年year after nextHSK 3
- 新年New YearHSK 3
- 年级grade (year of study)HSK 3
- 年龄ageHSK 4
- 童年childhoodHSK 4
- 少年teenagerHSK 4
- 青年youth; young personHSK 4
- 中年middle ageHSK 4
- 老年old ageHSK 4
- 年底end of the yearHSK 4
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 年?
年 has 6 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 年 mean?
年 means “year”. It appears in 今年 (“this year”), 明年 (“next year”), 去年 (“last year”), 过年 (“celebrate the New Year”).
How do you pronounce 年?
年 is read nián. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 年 have?
6 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 年 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.
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