夭 (yāo) is a Chinese character meaning “young and tender”. It is written from 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 大 (big), one above the other, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “young”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丿 + 大
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿱丿大；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验：第 1 笔为 丿，第 2–4 笔属 大
Memory aid
A person standing with arms out (大), head tilted to one side (丿) — someone young, loose-limbed and still in motion.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 夭折yāo zhéto die young; (of a plan) to fall through夭 = yāo
Go deeper
All readings
young; to die young
young and tender; lush and full of life; (of a person) to die young
草木柔嫩茂盛的样子；也指人未成年就死去。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 夭折yāo zhéto die young; (of a plan) to fall through夭 = yāo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 夭 mean?
夭 (yāo) means young and tender; lush and full of life; (of a person) to die young.
How do you pronounce 夭?
It is pronounced yāo.
What parts is 夭 made of?
丿 (left-falling stroke) and 大 (big), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿱丿大；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验：第 1 笔为 丿，第 2–4 笔属 大. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 夭 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 夭?
大. 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 夭?
Common ones are 夭折. The reading of 夭 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.