压 (yā) is a Chinese character meaning “to press”. It is written from 厂 (factory; cliff radical) and 土 (earth; soil) and 丶 (dot stroke), one enclosing the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to press down”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
厂 + 土 + 丶
Enclosing structure
- 厂 factory; cliff radical · chǎng simplified form
- 土 earth; soil · tǔ meaning
- 丶 dot stroke · zhǔ distinguishing mark
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-1 厂 / 2-4 土 / 5 丶）
Memory aid
A cliff overhang (厂) leaning over the ground (土), and one speck (丶) squeezed out from underneath it — that is pressure.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 压力yā lìpressure; stress压 = yā
- 血压xuè yāblood pressure压 = yā
- 压抑yā yìto suppress; oppressive; stifled压 = yā
- 压迫yā pòto oppress; to press on压 = yā
- 压扁yā biǎnto squash flat压 = yā
- 挤压jǐ yāto squeeze; to press hard压 = yā
Go deeper
All readings
to press
to press; to push down; to hold down; pressure
从上向下用力；用重量或力量使物体不能动。也指压力。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 压力yā lìpressure; stress压 = yā
- 血压xuè yāblood pressure压 = yā
- 压抑yā yìto suppress; oppressive; stifled压 = yā
- 压迫yā pòto oppress; to press on压 = yā
- 压扁yā biǎnto squash flat压 = yā
- 挤压jǐ yāto squeeze; to press hard压 = yā
Rare readings, not taught: yà
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 压 mean?
压 (yā) means to press; to push down; to hold down; pressure.
How do you pronounce 压?
It is pronounced yā.
What parts is 压 made of?
厂 (factory; cliff radical) and 土 (earth; soil) and 丶 (dot stroke), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-1 厂 / 2-4 土 / 5 丶）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 压 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 压?
厂. 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 压?
Common ones are 压力 and 血压. The reading of 压 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.