岩 (yán): cliff, rock
岩 (yán) is a Chinese character meaning “cliff.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 山 (structural) and 石 (structural). It ranks #1414 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 岩 the rocks 石 that make up a mountain 山. Its radical form 山 (mountain) appears in many related characters such as 山 (shān, mountain), 岁 (suì, years old), 岸 (àn, bank).
Definitions
- cliff
- rock
Etymology & Origin
ideographicThe rocks 石 that make up a mountain 山
Decomposition: ⿱山石 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 岩 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 岩石 | yán shí | (geology) rock |
| 岩浆 | yán jiāng | (geology) magma |
| 熔岩 | róng yán | (geology) lava |
| 花岗岩 | huā gāng yán | granite |
| 岩层 | yán céng | rock strata |
| 片麻岩 | piàn má yán | gneiss |
| 砂岩 | shā yán | sandstone |
| 火成岩 | huǒ chéng yán | igneous rock (geology) |
| 火山岩 | huǒ shān yán | volcanic rock |
| 玄武岩 | xuán wǔ yán | (geology) basalt |
| 辉长岩 | huī cháng yán | gabbro (geology) |
| 岩盐 | yán yán | rock salt |
| 月岩 | yuè yán | moon rock |
| 沉积岩 | chén jī yán | sedimentary rock (geology) |
| 石灰岩 | shí huī yán | limestone |
岩 appears in 100 compound words: 28 as the first character, 57 as the last, and 15 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 岩 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (1)
Example Sentences
岩字虽然难写,但意思很有趣。
yán zì suī rán nán xiě , dàn yì sī hěn yǒu qù .
The character "岩" may be difficult to write, but its meaning is quite interesting.
嘉县半天岩私人八重樱园绽放 自由参访带动观光
jiā xiàn bàn tiān yán sī rén bā chóng 樱 yuán zhàn fàng zì yóu cān fǎng dài dòng guàn guāng
Jiaxian Bantianyan private double cherry blossom orchard blooms free visit to drive sightseeing
用金牌当屏保,宁忠岩不过是把冷板凳坐热
yòng jīn pái dāng bǐng bǎo , nìng zhōng yán bù guò shì bǎ lěng bǎn dèng zuò rè
Using the gold medal as a screensaver, Ning Zhongyan is just sitting on the cold bench to heat up
大看台|从郑钦文到宁忠岩:冲破欧美垄断 镌刻东方印..
dà kàn tái cóng zhèng qīn wén dào nìng zhōng yán : chōng pò ōu měi lǒng duàn 镌 kè dōng fāng yìn . .
From Zheng Qinwen to Ning Zhongyan: Breaking through the monopoly of Europe and the United States and engraved the Oriental Seal:
...会|家乡连线:“我儿子是冠军!”——宁忠岩家乡..
. . . huì jiā xiāng lián xiàn : wǒ ér zǐ shì guàn jūn ! — — nìng zhōng yán jiā xiāng . .
... Hometown Connection: "My son is a champion!" ——Ning Zhongyan's hometown:
一环内禁燃!云岩区春节期间烟花爆竹禁限放区域、时间..
yī huán nèi jīn rán ! yún yán qū chūn jié qī jiān yān huā bào zhú jīn xiàn fàng qū yù , shí jiān . .
No combustion in the first ring! During the Spring Festival in Yunyan District, fireworks and firecrackers are prohibited and restricted:
一块岩石从上面落下。
Yī kuài yánshí cóng shàngmiàn luòxià.
A rock fell from above.
从远处看,岩石像一张人的脸。
Cóng yuǎnchù kàn, yánshí xiàng yī zhāng rén de liǎn.
Seen at a distance, the rock looks like a human face.
他的头撞到了一块岩石。
Tā de tóu zhuàng dào le yīkuài yánshí.
He hit his head against a rock.
水池是花岗岩做的。
Shuǐchí shì huāgāngyán zuò de.
The washbasin is made of granite.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 岩 (yán) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 岩 have?
What is the radical of 岩?
What are the components of 岩?
What are common words containing 岩?
What characters sound the same as 岩 (yán)?
Is 岩 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 岩 with real-time feedback
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