云 (yún) is a Chinese character meaning “cloud”. It is written from 二 (two) and 厶 (private component), one above the other, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “cloud”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
二 + 厶
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔构成「二」，第 3–4 笔构成「厶」）
Memory aid
Two flat lines (二) stacked like layers of sky, with a small curl (厶) tucked underneath — a cloud drifting below the horizon. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 白云bái yúnwhite cloud云 = yún
- 乌云wū yúndark clouds; storm clouds云 = yún
- 人云亦云rén yún yì yúnto repeat whatever others say; to parrot others云 = yún
- 彤云tóng yúnred clouds at sunrise or sunset; also dark clouds before snow云 = yún
Go deeper
All readings
cloud
cloud
空中由水汽凝结成的悬浮物；云。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 白云bái yúnwhite cloud云 = yún
- 乌云wū yúndark clouds; storm clouds云 = yún
- 人云亦云rén yún yì yúnto repeat whatever others say; to parrot others云 = yún
- 彤云tóng yúnred clouds at sunrise or sunset; also dark clouds before snow云 = yún
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 云 mean?
云 (yún) means cloud.
How do you pronounce 云?
It is pronounced yún.
What parts is 云 made of?
二 (two) and 厶 (private component), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔构成「二」，第 3–4 笔构成「厶」）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 云 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 云?
二. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 云?
Common ones are 白云 and 乌云. The reading of 云 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.