映 (yìng) is a Chinese character meaning “to shine on”. It is written from 日 (sun; day) and 央 (centre), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to reflect; to shine on”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
日 + 央
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字新附：映，明也。从日央聲。现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（日4 + 央5 = 9 笔）
Memory aid
The sun (日) strikes something right in the centre (央) — and the light bounces back at you. Both pieces are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 反映fǎn yìngto reflect; to report (a situation or opinion)映 = yìng
- 放映fàng yìngto show a film; to screen (a movie)映 = yìng
Go deeper
All readings
to reflect; to shine on
to shine on; to reflect; to project an image; to screen (a film)
光线照射；影像反射出来；也指放电影。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 反映fǎn yìngto reflect; to report (a situation or opinion)映 = yìng
- 放映fàng yìngto show a film; to screen (a movie)映 = yìng
Origin
A phono-semantic compound: 日 (sun) on the left carries the meaning — this word is about light — while 央 on the right supplied the sound. 映 named light falling on something and being thrown back.
Source: 说文解字新附：映，明也。从日央聲。
Sound component
央 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 映 mean?
映 (yìng) means to shine on; to reflect; to project an image; to screen (a film).
How do you pronounce 映?
It is pronounced yìng.
What parts is 映 made of?
日 (sun; day) and 央 (centre), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字新附：映，明也。从日央聲。现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（日4 + 央5 = 9 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 映 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 映?
日. 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 映?
Common ones are 反映 and 放映. The reading of 映 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.