爷 (yé) is a Chinese character meaning “grandfather (father's father)”. It is written from 父 (father) and 卩 (kneeling person; seal (tally)), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “grandfather”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
父 + 卩
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：父 4 画 + 卩 2 画 = 爷 6 画）
Memory aid
Father (父) stands on top; below him a small kneeling figure (卩) looks up. The generation above your father — that's Grandpa.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 爷爷yé yegrandfather (father's father); grandpa爷 = yéHSK 1
- 大爷dà yeuncle (polite address for an older man)爷 = yé
Go deeper
All readings
grandfather
grandfather (father's father); a respectful term of address for an older man
父亲的父亲；也用来尊称年长的男子。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 爷爷yé yegrandfather (father's father); grandpa爷 = yéHSK 1
- 大爷dà yeuncle (polite address for an older man)爷 = yé
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 爷 mean?
爷 (yé) means grandfather (father's father); a respectful term of address for an older man.
How do you pronounce 爷?
It is pronounced yé.
What parts is 爷 made of?
父 (father) and 卩 (kneeling person; seal (tally)), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：父 4 画 + 卩 2 画 = 爷 6 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 爷 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 爷?
父. 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 爷?
Common ones are 爷爷 and 大爷. The reading of 爷 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.