怨 (yuàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to resent”. It is written from 夗 (sound component in 苑 / 宛 (yuàn / wǎn)) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to resent”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
夗 + 心
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字·心部（怨，恚也。从心夗聲）；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验：9 画 = 夗 5 画 + 心 4 画
Memory aid
A heart (心) that cannot settle down at night — 夗 sits on top and also gives the sound yuàn. A restless heart turning over and over is a heart holding a grudge.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 抱怨bào yuànto complain; to grumble怨 = yuànHSK 4
- 怨恨yuàn hènto resent; resentment怨 = yuàn
Go deeper
All readings
to resent
to resent; to blame; resentment; grudge
对人或事不满、责怪；心里积下的不满情绪。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 抱怨bào yuànto complain; to grumble怨 = yuànHSK 4
- 怨恨yuàn hènto resent; resentment怨 = yuàn
Sound component
夗 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 怨 mean?
怨 (yuàn) means to resent; to blame; resentment; grudge.
How do you pronounce 怨?
It is pronounced yuàn.
What parts is 怨 made of?
夗 (sound component in 苑 / 宛 (yuàn / wǎn)) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·心部（怨，恚也。从心夗聲）；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验：9 画 = 夗 5 画 + 心 4 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 怨 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 怨?
心. 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 怨?
Common ones are 抱怨 and 怨恨. The reading of 怨 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.