The character 淹 — “flood”: how to write it and what it means

淹
yān

flood, submerge

11 strokes · HSK 6 · word page

The Chinese character 淹 is read yān and means “flood, submerge”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 淹

淹 has 11 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 淹, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 淹 is made of

On the left, 氵 “water”; on the right, 奄 yǎn hints at the reading.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 淹

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 淹?

淹 has 11 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 淹 mean?

淹 means “flood, submerge”. It appears in 淹没 (“submerge”).

How do you pronounce 淹?

淹 is read yān. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 淹 have?

11 strokes.

← 灾 disaster旱 drought →

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 淹 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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