移 (yí) is a Chinese character meaning “to move”. It is written from 禾 (grain; standing grain) and 多 (many; much), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to move”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
禾 + 多
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：移，禾相倚移也。从禾，多聲
Memory aid
So many (多) stalks of grain (禾) crowd the field that some must be moved elsewhere.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 移动yí dòngto move; mobile移 = yí
- 移民yí mínto emigrate; immigrant移 = yí
- 迁移qiān yíto migrate; to move (from one place to another)移 = yí
Go deeper
All readings
to move
to move; to shift; to change; to alter
挪动位置；改变。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 移动yí dòngto move; mobile移 = yí
- 移民yí mínto emigrate; immigrant移 = yí
- 迁移qiān yíto migrate; to move (from one place to another)移 = yí
Sound component
多 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 移 mean?
移 (yí) means to move; to shift; to change; to alter.
How do you pronounce 移?
It is pronounced yí.
What parts is 移 made of?
禾 (grain; standing grain) and 多 (many; much), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：移，禾相倚移也。从禾，多聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 移 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 移?
禾. 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 移?
Common ones are 移动 and 移民. The reading of 移 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.