叶 (yè) is a Chinese character meaning “leaf”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 十 (ten), side by side, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “leaf”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 十
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰口十；与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画数据核验：第 1–3 笔属 口，第 4–5 笔属 十（共 5 画）
Memory aid
A mouth (口) next to the number ten (十): ten mouths on one branch — that's how many leaves you can count.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 树叶shù yèleaf (of a tree); tree leaves叶 = yè
- 叶子yè zileaf; foliage叶 = yè
- 枫叶fēng yèmaple leaf叶 = yè
- 茎叶jīng yèstems and leaves (of a plant)叶 = yè
- 茶叶chá yètea leaves叶 = yèHSK 2
- 荷叶hé yèlotus leaf叶 = yè
Go deeper
All readings
leaf
leaf; foliage; a thin leaf-like piece; (also a surname, Yè)
植物的叶子；也指像叶子一样的薄片。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 树叶shù yèleaf (of a tree); tree leaves叶 = yè
- 叶子yè zileaf; foliage叶 = yè
- 枫叶fēng yèmaple leaf叶 = yè
- 茎叶jīng yèstems and leaves (of a plant)叶 = yè
- 茶叶chá yètea leaves叶 = yèHSK 2
- 荷叶hé yèlotus leaf叶 = yè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 叶 mean?
叶 (yè) means leaf; foliage; a thin leaf-like piece; (also a surname, Yè).
How do you pronounce 叶?
It is pronounced yè.
What parts is 叶 made of?
口 (mouth) and 十 (ten), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰口十；与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画数据核验：第 1–3 笔属 口，第 4–5 笔属 十（共 5 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 叶 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 叶?
口. 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 叶?
Common ones are 树叶 and 叶子. The reading of 叶 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.