酝 (yùn) is a Chinese character meaning “to brew”. It is written from 酉 (wine jar; the tenth earthly branch) and 云 (cloud), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to brew”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
酉 + 云
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·酉部：醞，釀也。从酉昷聲。《简化字总表》简作「酝」，以音近的「云」代「昷」为声旁。
Memory aid
A wine jar (酉) on the left, and 云 on the right gives the sound — 云 yún, so 酝 yùn. Picture the brew slowly clouding over as it ferments.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 酝酿yùn niàngto brew; to ferment; to mull over, to build up gradually酝 = yùn
Go deeper
All readings
to brew
to brew; to ferment; (fig.) to prepare gradually, to mull over
酿酒；多用于「酝酿」，比喻事情逐渐准备、形成。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 酝酿yùn niàngto brew; to ferment; to mull over, to build up gradually酝 = yùn
Sound component
云 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 酝 mean?
酝 (yùn) means to brew; to ferment; (fig.) to prepare gradually, to mull over.
How do you pronounce 酝?
It is pronounced yùn.
What parts is 酝 made of?
酉 (wine jar; the tenth earthly branch) and 云 (cloud), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·酉部：醞，釀也。从酉昷聲。《简化字总表》简作「酝」，以音近的「云」代「昷」为声旁。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 酝 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 酝?
酉. 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 酝?
Common ones are 酝酿. The reading of 酝 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.