袁 (yuán) is a Chinese character meaning “a Chinese surname, Yuan”. It is written from 土 (earth; soil) and 口 (mouth) and 𧘇 (lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes)), and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “Yuan (a surname)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
土 + 口 + 𧘇
Top–middle–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS ⿳土口𧘇 (cjkvi-ids / makemeahanzi decomposition, build-time only), stroke groups 0-2/3-5/6-9 verified against hanzi-writer-data; 说文解字: 袁，长衣皃。从衣，叀省声
Memory aid
Soil (土) on top, a mouth (口) in the middle, and the swishing hem of a robe (𧘇) at the bottom: picture Mr. Yuán in a long robe, dust on his hat, calling out his own name.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 袁世凯yuán shì kǎiYuan Shikai (1859–1916), general and first formal president of the Republic of China袁 = yuán
- 袁大头yuán dà tóusilver dollar coin bearing the head of Yuan Shikai袁 = yuán
Go deeper
All readings
Yuan (a surname)
a Chinese surname, Yuan
姓。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 袁世凯yuán shì kǎiYuan Shikai (1859–1916), general and first formal president of the Republic of China袁 = yuán
- 袁大头yuán dà tóusilver dollar coin bearing the head of Yuan Shikai袁 = yuán
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 袁 mean?
袁 (yuán) means a Chinese surname, Yuan.
How do you pronounce 袁?
It is pronounced yuán.
What parts is 袁 made of?
土 (earth; soil) and 口 (mouth) and 𧘇 (lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes)). The recorded source is: IDS ⿳土口𧘇 (cjkvi-ids / makemeahanzi decomposition, build-time only), stroke groups 0-2/3-5/6-9 verified against hanzi-writer-data; 说文解字: 袁，长衣皃。从衣，叀省声. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 袁 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 袁?
衣. 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 袁?
Common ones are 袁世凯 and 袁大头. The reading of 袁 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.