胰 (yí) is a Chinese character meaning “pancreas”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 夷 (level, smooth; historically a name for peoples to the east), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “pancreas”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
月 + 夷
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰月夷，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 10 笔核验：月 4 笔 + 夷 6 笔）
Memory aid
The body part 月 on the left, 夷 (yí) on the right — an organ tucked deep inside the body: the pancreas. Both parts are really in this character, and 夷 also hands you the sound: yí.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 胰腺yí xiànpancreas胰 = yí
- 胰岛素yí dǎo sùinsulin胰 = yí
Go deeper
All readings
pancreas
pancreas
胰腺，人和高等动物体内的一种腺体，能分泌消化液和胰岛素。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 胰腺yí xiànpancreas胰 = yí
- 胰岛素yí dǎo sùinsulin胰 = yí
Sound component
夷 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 胰 mean?
胰 (yí) means pancreas.
How do you pronounce 胰?
It is pronounced yí.
What parts is 胰 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 夷 (level, smooth; historically a name for peoples to the east), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰月夷，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 10 笔核验：月 4 笔 + 夷 6 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 胰 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 胰?
月. 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 胰?
Common ones are 胰腺 and 胰岛素. The reading of 胰 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.