莺 (yīng) is a Chinese character meaning “oriole”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 冖 (cover) and 鸟 (bird), and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “oriole; warbler”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艹 + 冖 + 鸟
Top–middle–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS (现代字形拆分 ⿳艹冖鸟，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「艹」，3–4 为「冖」，5–9 与「鸟」逐笔对应，3+2+5=10画)
Memory aid
Up in the grass (艹), under a little cover (冖), hides a bird (鸟) — a songbird tucked away in the leaves.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 黄莺huáng yīngoriole莺 = yīng
- 夜莺yè yīngnightingale莺 = yīng
Go deeper
All readings
oriole; warbler
oriole; warbler; small songbird
鸟名，一类叫声婉转的小型鸣禽，如黄莺。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 黄莺huáng yīngoriole莺 = yīng
- 夜莺yè yīngnightingale莺 = yīng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 莺 mean?
莺 (yīng) means oriole; warbler; small songbird.
How do you pronounce 莺?
It is pronounced yīng.
What parts is 莺 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 冖 (cover) and 鸟 (bird). The recorded source is: IDS (现代字形拆分 ⿳艹冖鸟，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「艹」，3–4 为「冖」，5–9 与「鸟」逐笔对应，3+2+5=10画). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 莺 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 莺?
艹. 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 莺?
Common ones are 黄莺 and 夜莺. The reading of 莺 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.