谚 (yàn): proverb

谚 (yàn) is a Chinese character meaning “proverb.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 讠 (speech). It ranks #3304 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Native pronunciation

HSK 7-9 Radical: 讠 speech11 strokesFrequency #3304

Definitions

proverb

Stroke Order

Practice writing 谚 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
谚语	yàn yǔ	proverb
民谚	mín yàn	folk saying
古谚	gǔ yàn	ancient proverb
里谚	lǐ yàn	common saying
谚文	yàn wén	hangul, Korean phonetic alphabet
农谚	nóng yàn	farmers' saying
俗谚口碑	sú yàn kǒu bēi	common sayings (idiom)
俗谚	sú yàn	common saying
俚谚	lǐ yàn	common saying

Total compounds

As first character

As last character

As middle character

谚 appears in 9 compound words: 22 as the first character, 67 as the last, and 11 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Example Sentences

AI-Generated

学习谚字需要反复练习，才能写得工整。

xué xí yàn zì xū yāo fǎn fù liàn xí , cái néng xiě dé gōng zhěng .

Learning to write the character "谚" requires repeated practice to ensure it is written neatly.

CriApr 2026

“清明前后,种瓜点豆” 解锁清明民谚里的科学密码-国际在线

qīng míng qián hòu , zhǒng guā diǎn dòu jiě suǒ qīng míng mín yàn lǐ de kē xué mì mǎ guó jì zài xiàn

三立新聞網Apr 2026

吴东谚白家绮婚宴席开65桌!证婚人找他

wú dōng yàn bái jiā 绮 hūn yàn xí kāi 6 5 zhuō ! zhèng hūn rén zhǎo tā

Character Family

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 谚 (yàn) mean in Chinese?

谚 (yàn) primarily means "proverb." It is classified as HSK Level 7-9, making it an expert-level character. It ranks #3304 in character frequency.

How many strokes does 谚 have?

谚 is written with 11 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 谚?

The radical associated with 谚 is 讠 (speech). This radical appears in many characters related to speech.

What are common words containing 谚?

Common words with 谚 include: 谚语 (yàn yǔ, "proverb"); 民谚 (mín yàn, "folk saying"); 古谚 (gǔ yàn, "ancient proverb"); 里谚 (lǐ yàn, "common saying"); 谚文 (yàn wén, "hangul, Korean phonetic alphabet"). There are over 9 compound words containing this character.

Is 谚 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

No. The simplified form is 谚 and the traditional form is 諺.

Practice writing 谚 with real-time feedback

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