堰 (yàn) is a Chinese character meaning “weir”. It is written from 土 (earth; soil) and 匽 (to hide; to conceal (sound component of 堰, 偃)), side by side, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “weir; dam”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
土 + 匽
Left–right structure
Structure from: cjkvi-ids (⿰土匽); 广韵 於建切; 现代字形逐笔核对 hanzi-writer-data（土[0–2]、匽[3–11]）
Memory aid
Pile up earth (土) beside 匽 to hold the river back — that earth bank is a weir, a low dam.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 堤堰dī yàndikes and weirs; embankments堰 = yàn
- 堰塞湖yàn sè húlandslide-dammed lake; barrier lake堰 = yàn
Go deeper
All readings
weir; dam
weir; low dam; embankment built to raise or divert water
较低的挡水堤坝，用来抬高水位或引水灌溉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 堤堰dī yàndikes and weirs; embankments堰 = yàn
- 堰塞湖yàn sè húlandslide-dammed lake; barrier lake堰 = yàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 堰 mean?
堰 (yàn) means weir; low dam; embankment built to raise or divert water.
How do you pronounce 堰?
It is pronounced yàn.
What parts is 堰 made of?
土 (earth; soil) and 匽 (to hide; to conceal (sound component of 堰, 偃)), side by side. The recorded source is: cjkvi-ids (⿰土匽); 广韵 於建切; 现代字形逐笔核对 hanzi-writer-data（土[0–2]、匽[3–11]）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 堰 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 堰?
土. 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 堰?
Common ones are 堤堰 and 堰塞湖. The reading of 堰 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.