元

Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) Component (元)

yuán · 4 strokes

The Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) component (元) is a component found in Chinese characters. In Chinese, components serve different roles: semantic elements contribute meaning, phonetic elements suggest pronunciation, and structural elements provide the character's framework. It primarily serves as a phonetic element, contributing pronunciation patterns to the characters where it appears. Characters containing 元 often share the pronunciation wan or yuan: 完, 玩, 顽, 远, 园. It typically appears on the inner (enclosed) part of a character. 5 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 6. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) Component at a Glance

Stroke Count4
Total Characters5
Primary RolePhonetic (pronunciation)
Typical Positioninner (enclosed) part
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 2 (2 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes8
Also a Kangxi Radical?No

All Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) Component Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

玩wánto play

HSK 2 (2 characters)

远yuǎnfar完wánto finish

HSK 3 (1 characters)

园yuánland used for growing plants

HSK 6 (1 characters)

顽wánmischievous

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) component (元)?
There are 5 characters containing the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) component (元) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 6. The most frequently used include 完 (wán, "to finish"), 远 (yuǎn, "far"), 园 (yuán, "land used for growing plants"), 玩 (wán, "to play"), 顽 (wán, "mischievous"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is 元 a radical or a component?
元 is a component but not one of the 214 Kangxi radicals. Kangxi radicals are the traditional set used to classify and look up characters in dictionaries. Components are the broader set of building blocks that make up all Chinese characters — including radicals, phonetic elements, and structural pieces. While 元 is not used as a dictionary classifier, it plays an important role as a phonetic element in the 5 characters where it appears.
What sound does the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) component (元) give to characters?
When 元 serves as a phonetic element (in 5 of its 5 characters), it commonly contributes these pronunciation patterns: wan (完, 玩, 顽); yuan (远, 园). Phonetic components are one of the most powerful tools for reading unfamiliar characters — if you recognize 元 in a new character, there is a good chance the pronunciation is related. Note that tones and initial consonants may vary across characters sharing the same phonetic component.
Where does 元 appear in a character?
The Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) component (元) most commonly appears on the inner (enclosed) part of a character. Full position breakdown: inner (enclosed) part (2 characters), bottom (1 characters), right side (1 characters), left side (1 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see 元 in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) component characters?
Characters containing the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) component (元) appear across 4 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 6. The largest concentration is at HSK 2 with 2 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common Yuan dynasty (1279–1368)-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Components are identified through structural decomposition analysis of characters in the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首).