宴 (yàn) is a Chinese character meaning “banquet”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 妟 (at ease; calm (sound component yàn)), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “banquet; feast”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
宀 + 妟
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 宴，安也。从宀妟声；现代字形经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（宀3画 + 妟7画 = 10画）
Memory aid
Under a roof (宀) sits 妟, which also gives the sound yàn. Picture guests settled at ease under one roof for a feast: 宴, a banquet.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 宴会yàn huìbanquet; dinner party宴 = yàn
- 宴请yàn qǐngto host a banquet for; to entertain (guests)宴 = yàn
Go deeper
All readings
banquet; feast
banquet; feast; to entertain guests with a meal
请客吃饭的聚会；用酒饭招待客人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 宴会yàn huìbanquet; dinner party宴 = yàn
- 宴请yàn qǐngto host a banquet for; to entertain (guests)宴 = yàn
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 宴 mean?
宴 (yàn) means banquet; feast; to entertain guests with a meal.
How do you pronounce 宴?
It is pronounced yàn.
What parts is 宴 made of?
宀 (roof) and 妟 (at ease; calm (sound component yàn)), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 宴，安也。从宀妟声；现代字形经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（宀3画 + 妟7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 宴 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 宴?
宀. 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 宴?
Common ones are 宴会 and 宴请. The reading of 宴 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.