演
演 (yǎn) means “to act”. It is made of 氵 + 寅 and has 14 strokes, and is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 演 into its parts
What 演 is made of
- 氵 shuǐ — water
- 寅 yín — to respect
- 宀 — roof
- 丶 — dot
- 冖 mì — cover
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 由 yóu — to follow
- 八 bā — eight
- 宀 — roof
Origin hint: 氵 gives the meaning, 寅 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
演 stroke order
Example sentences
他在电影里演一个老师。Tā zài diànyǐng lǐ yǎn yī gè lǎoshī.He plays a teacher in the film.
今晚演什么节目？Jīnwǎn yǎn shénme jiémù?What show is on tonight?
Words with 演
- 表演biǎoyǎnto perform
- 导演dǎoyǎndirector
- 演唱yǎnchàngto sing (on stage)
- 演唱会yǎnchànghuìconcert
- 演出yǎnchūperformance
- 演员yǎnyuánactor
- 演讲yǎnjiǎngto give a speech
- 扮演bànyǎnto play the role of
- 演变yǎnbiànto evolve
- 演习yǎnxídrill
- 演绎yǎnyìto interpret
- 演奏yǎnzòuto perform (on an instrument)
Also built with 氵
- 汁zhījuice
- 汇huìto send (money)
- 汉hànHan
- 汗hànsweat
- 江jiāngriver
- 池chípool
- 污wūfilthy
- 汤tāngsoup
- 汰tàito eliminate
- 汹xiōngturbulent
- 汽qìsteam
- 沃wòto water
Quick facts
| Pinyin | yǎn |
|---|---|
| Meaning | to act; to perform; to play (a role) |
| Strokes | 14 |
| Radical | 水 (water, #85) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 4 (exam 2025) · HSK 3 (2021) |
Questions about 演
What does 演 mean?
演 (yǎn) means “to act; to perform; to play (a role)”.
How many strokes does 演 have?
演 has 14 strokes.
What is the radical of 演?
The radical of 演 is 水 (shuǐ, “water”), Kangxi radical number 85.
What parts make up 演?
演 is made of 氵 (water) and 寅 (to respect).
Which HSK level is 演?
演 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021).
Learn 演 with its group
It is part of HSK 3 (2021) · Group 42: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.