The character 美 — “beautiful”: how to write it and what it means
beautiful
The Chinese character 美 is read měi and means “beautiful”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 美
美 has 9 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 美, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 美 is made of
On top, 羊 “sheep”; at the bottom, 大 “big”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 美
- 美丽beautifulHSK 4
- 美食delicious food, delicaciesHSK 4
- 美景beautiful viewHSK 4
- 美好wonderful, happyHSK 4
- 美味delicacy; delicious (lit.)HSK 5
- 完美perfect, idealHSK 5
- 优美graceful, beautifulHSK 5
- 美术fine artsHSK 5
- 精美exquisite, finely madeHSK 6
- 美观attractive, pleasing (to the eye)HSK 6
- 审美aesthetic taste; appreciate beautyHSK 6
- 北美洲North AmericaHSK 6
- 南美洲South AmericaHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 美?
美 has 9 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 美 mean?
美 means “beautiful”. It appears in 美丽 (“beautiful”), 美食 (“delicious food”), 美景 (“beautiful view”), 美好 (“wonderful”).
How do you pronounce 美?
美 is read měi. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 美 have?
9 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 美 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