秧 (yāng) is a Chinese character meaning “seedling (esp”. It is written from 禾 (grain; standing grain) and 央 (centre), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “seedling”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
禾 + 央
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 秧，禾若秧穰也。从禾央聲（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：禾 5 画 + 央 5 画 = 10 画）
Memory aid
Young grain (禾) set right in the centre (央) of a flooded paddy: a rice seedling, ready to be planted.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 秧苗yāng miáorice seedlings; young seedlings of a crop秧 = yāng
- 插秧chā yāngto transplant rice seedlings秧 = yāng
Go deeper
All readings
seedling
seedling (esp. of rice); young plant or vine; young of certain animals
植物的幼苗，特指稻苗；也指某些植物的茎蔓或某些饲养动物的幼体。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 秧苗yāng miáorice seedlings; young seedlings of a crop秧 = yāng
- 插秧chā yāngto transplant rice seedlings秧 = yāng
Sound component
央 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 秧 mean?
秧 (yāng) means seedling (esp. of rice); young plant or vine; young of certain animals.
How do you pronounce 秧?
It is pronounced yāng.
What parts is 秧 made of?
禾 (grain; standing grain) and 央 (centre), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 秧，禾若秧穰也。从禾央聲（现代字形对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：禾 5 画 + 央 5 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 秧 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 秧?
禾. 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 秧?
Common ones are 秧苗 and 插秧. The reading of 秧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.