寅 (yín) is a Chinese character meaning “the third of the twelve Earthly Branches”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 一 (one) and 由 (from; by way of; cause) and 八 (eight), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “third Earthly Branch — the hour 3–5 a.m.”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
宀 + 一 + 由 + 八
Top–bottom structure
- 宀 roof · mián unknown
- 一 one · yī unknown
- 由 from; by way of; cause · yóu unknown
- 八 eight · bā unknown
Structure from: cjkvi-ids 构形 ⿱宀⿳一由八；hanzi-writer-data 现代字形逐笔核验（宀 3 画 + 一 1 画 + 由 5 画 + 八 2 画 = 11 画）
Memory aid
Under a roof (宀), one (一) sleeper gets up from (由) bed and stands on two legs (八) — long before sunrise, in the 寅 hour (3–5 a.m.). All four parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 寅时yín shíthe double hour from 3 to 5 a.m.寅 = yín
- 寅吃卯粮yín chī mǎo liángto eat next year’s grain this year; to spend future income in advance寅 = yín
Go deeper
All readings
third Earthly Branch
the third of the twelve Earthly Branches; the double hour 3–5 a.m.
地支的第三位；也用来计时，寅时指凌晨三点到五点。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 寅时yín shíthe double hour from 3 to 5 a.m.寅 = yín
- 寅吃卯粮yín chī mǎo liángto eat next year’s grain this year; to spend future income in advance寅 = yín
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 寅 mean?
寅 (yín) means the third of the twelve Earthly Branches; the double hour 3–5 a.m..
How do you pronounce 寅?
It is pronounced yín.
What parts is 寅 made of?
宀 (roof) and 一 (one) and 由 (from; by way of; cause) and 八 (eight), one above the other. The recorded source is: cjkvi-ids 构形 ⿱宀⿳一由八；hanzi-writer-data 现代字形逐笔核验（宀 3 画 + 一 1 画 + 由 5 画 + 八 2 画 = 11 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 寅 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 寅?
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 寅?
Common ones are 寅时 and 寅吃卯粮. The reading of 寅 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.