引 (yǐn) is a Chinese character meaning “to draw (a bow)”. It is written from 弓 (bow) and 丨 (vertical stroke), side by side, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “to pull; to attract”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
弓 + 丨
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode U+5F15; ⿰弓丨 split verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (strokes 0-2 match 弓, stroke 3 is a separate full-height vertical)
Memory aid
A bow (弓) with one straight vertical line (丨) beside it — the string pulled back tight. That pull is what 引 means: to draw, to lead, to attract.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 吸引xī yǐnto attract; to draw (attention)引 = yǐnHSK 4
- 引起yǐn qǐto give rise to; to cause引 = yǐnspoken asyín qǐHSK 4
- 引吭高歌yǐn háng gāo gēto sing loudly at the top of one's voice引 = yǐn
- 引荐yǐn jiànto introduce and recommend (someone)引 = yǐn
- 引诱yǐn yòuto lure; to entice引 = yǐn
- 牵引qiān yǐnto tow; to pull; traction引 = yǐn
Go deeper
All readings
to pull; to lead
to draw (a bow); to pull; to lead; to attract; to give rise to
拉开弓；牵拉、带领；招来、引起。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 吸引xī yǐnto attract; to draw (attention)引 = yǐnHSK 4
- 引起yǐn qǐto give rise to; to cause引 = yǐnspoken asyín qǐHSK 4
- 引吭高歌yǐn háng gāo gēto sing loudly at the top of one's voice引 = yǐn
- 引荐yǐn jiànto introduce and recommend (someone)引 = yǐn
- 引诱yǐn yòuto lure; to entice引 = yǐn
- 牵引qiān yǐnto tow; to pull; traction引 = yǐn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 引 mean?
引 (yǐn) means to draw (a bow); to pull; to lead; to attract; to give rise to.
How do you pronounce 引?
It is pronounced yǐn.
What parts is 引 made of?
弓 (bow) and 丨 (vertical stroke), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+5F15; ⿰弓丨 split verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry (strokes 0-2 match 弓, stroke 3 is a separate full-height vertical). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 引 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 引?
弓. 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 引?
Common ones are 吸引 and 引起. The reading of 引 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.