研 (yán) is a Chinese character meaning “to grind”. It is written from 石 (stone; rock) and 开 (to open), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to research”
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Structure
石 + 开
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 研，䃺也。从石幵聲（今简化字形右旁作「开」）；现代字形拆分经笔画核验 石5+开4=9
Memory aid
A stone (石) on the left, and on the right the shape 开, "to open". Grind at a stone long enough and it opens up — that is what it means to study something closely.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 研究yán jiūto research; to study; research研 = yánHSK 4
- 钻研zuān yánto study intensively; to dig into研 = yán
Go deeper
All readings
to research
to grind; to study closely; to do research
细磨；深入地探求。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 研究yán jiūto research; to study; research研 = yánHSK 4
- 钻研zuān yánto study intensively; to dig into研 = yán
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 研 mean?
研 (yán) means to grind; to study closely; to do research.
How do you pronounce 研?
It is pronounced yán.
What parts is 研 made of?
石 (stone; rock) and 开 (to open), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 研，䃺也。从石幵聲（今简化字形右旁作「开」）；现代字形拆分经笔画核验 石5+开4=9. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 研 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 研?
石. 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 研?
Common ones are 研究. The reading of 研 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.