员 (yuán) is a Chinese character meaning “a member of a group”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 贝 (shell), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “member; person in a role”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
口 + 贝
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（口 3 画 + 贝 4 画 = 7 画，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验）
Memory aid
A mouth (口) sitting on top of a shell (贝), the old word for money. Someone whose mouth speaks for the money — a member of the staff. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 员工yuán gōngstaff; employee员 = yuán
- 宇航员yǔ háng yuánastronaut员 = yuán
- 委员wěi yuáncommittee member员 = yuánHSK 5
- 党员dǎng yuánparty member员 = yuán
Go deeper
All readings
member; person in a role
a member of a group; a person holding a particular job or role (used as a suffix: staff, clerk, crew)
指某个团体里的人，或担任某种工作的人，常作后缀。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 员工yuán gōngstaff; employee员 = yuán
- 宇航员yǔ háng yuánastronaut员 = yuán
- 委员wěi yuáncommittee member员 = yuánHSK 5
- 党员dǎng yuánparty member员 = yuán
Rare readings, not taught: yún, yùn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 员 mean?
员 (yuán) means a member of a group; a person holding a particular job or role (used as a suffix: staff, clerk, crew).
How do you pronounce 员?
It is pronounced yuán.
What parts is 员 made of?
口 (mouth) and 贝 (shell), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（口 3 画 + 贝 4 画 = 7 画，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 员 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 员?
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 员?
Common ones are 员工 and 宇航员. The reading of 员 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.