野 (yě) is a Chinese character meaning “open country”. It is written from 里 (inside; li (unit of distance)) and 予 (to give; to grant), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “wild; open country”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
里 + 予
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：野，郊外也。从里予声（现代字形对照笔顺数据核验：里 7 画 + 予 4 画 = 11 画）
Memory aid
Past the village (里), the land just gives (予) itself away — no fences, no owners. That open, untamed country is 野: wild.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 野生yě shēngwild; undomesticated野 = yě
- 田野tián yěfield; open country野 = yě
- 野外yě wàithe open country; outdoors野 = yě
- 野兽yě shòuwild animal; wild beast野 = yě
- 野炊yě chuīto cook a meal outdoors; outdoor picnic cooking野 = yě
Go deeper
All readings
wild; open country
open country; field; wild; untamed; rough; unrestrained
郊外、田野；不是人工饲养或栽培的；粗野、不受约束。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 野生yě shēngwild; undomesticated野 = yě
- 田野tián yěfield; open country野 = yě
- 野外yě wàithe open country; outdoors野 = yě
- 野兽yě shòuwild animal; wild beast野 = yě
- 野炊yě chuīto cook a meal outdoors; outdoor picnic cooking野 = yě
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 野 mean?
野 (yě) means open country; field; wild; untamed; rough; unrestrained.
How do you pronounce 野?
It is pronounced yě.
What parts is 野 made of?
里 (inside; li (unit of distance)) and 予 (to give; to grant), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：野，郊外也。从里予声（现代字形对照笔顺数据核验：里 7 画 + 予 4 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 野 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 野?
里. 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 野?
Common ones are 野生, 田野, 野外. The reading of 野 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.