The character 烟 — “smoke”: how to write it and what it means

烟
yān

smoke; cigarette

10 strokes · HSK 4 · word page

The Chinese character 烟 is read yān and means “smoke; cigarette”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 烟

烟 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 烟, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 烟 is made of

On the left, 火 “fire”; on the right, 因 yīn hints at the sound.

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 烟?

烟 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 烟 mean?

烟 means “smoke; cigarette”.

How do you pronounce 烟?

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

How many strokes does 烟 have?

10 strokes.

← 断 break吸 breathe in →

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 烟 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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