营 (yíng) is a Chinese character meaning “camp”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 冖 (cover) and 吕 (two mouths stacked; a pitch-pipe name (also a surname)), and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “camp; to operate”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艹 + 冖 + 吕
Top–middle–bottom structure
- 艹 grass / plant radical · cǎo unknown
- 冖 cover · mì unknown
- 吕 two mouths stacked; a pitch-pipe name (also a surname) · lǚ unknown
Structure from: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke groups (艹 3 + 冖 2 + 吕 6 = 11)
Memory aid
A grass roof (艹) laid over a cover (冖), and two mouths (吕) sheltering underneath. People gathered under one thatched cover — that is a camp.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 经营jīng yíngto run (a business); to manage; to operate营 = yíng
- 营养yíng yǎngnutrition; nourishment营 = yíng
Go deeper
All readings
camp; to operate
camp; barracks; battalion; to run (a business); to manage; to seek (profit)
军队驻扎的地方；经营、管理；谋求。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 经营jīng yíngto run (a business); to manage; to operate营 = yíng
- 营养yíng yǎngnutrition; nourishment营 = yíng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 营 mean?
营 (yíng) means camp; barracks; battalion; to run (a business); to manage; to seek (profit).
How do you pronounce 营?
It is pronounced yíng.
What parts is 营 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 冖 (cover) and 吕 (two mouths stacked; a pitch-pipe name (also a surname)). The recorded source is: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke groups (艹 3 + 冖 2 + 吕 6 = 11). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 营 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 营?
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 营?
Common ones are 经营 and 营养. The reading of 营 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.