殷 (yīn) is a Chinese character meaning “earnest”. It is written from 㐆 (a figure turned around — the character 身 (body) written in reverse) and 殳 (a hand holding a long-handled tool or weapon), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “earnest”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
㐆 + 殳
Left–right structure
- 㐆 a figure turned around — the character 身 (body) written in reverse · yī meaning
- 殳 a hand holding a long-handled tool or weapon · shū meaning
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（㐆6画 + 殳4画 = 10画）
Memory aid
A figure (㐆) beside a hand busily wielding a tool (殳): someone working hard to serve you — earnest and attentive, as in 殷勤.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 殷勤yīn qínattentive; solicitous; eagerly hospitable殷 = yīn
- 殷切yīn qièardent; earnest; eager殷 = yīn
Go deeper
All readings
earnest; abundant
earnest; deep (of feeling); abundant, flourishing; the Yin dynasty (another name for the Shang)
深厚，恳切；丰盛，富足；朝代名，商朝后期也称殷。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 殷勤yīn qínattentive; solicitous; eagerly hospitable殷 = yīn
- 殷切yīn qièardent; earnest; eager殷 = yīn
Rare readings, not taught: yān
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 殷 mean?
殷 (yīn) means earnest; deep (of feeling); abundant, flourishing; the Yin dynasty (another name for the Shang).
How do you pronounce 殷?
It is pronounced yīn.
What parts is 殷 made of?
㐆 (a figure turned around — the character 身 (body) written in reverse) and 殳 (a hand holding a long-handled tool or weapon), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（㐆6画 + 殳4画 = 10画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 殷 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 殷?
殳. 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 殷?
Common ones are 殷勤 and 殷切. The reading of 殷 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.