焉 Stroke Order — How to Write 焉

Stroke Order

焉 is written in 11 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 灬, then complete the remaining strokes.

Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.

焉 Radical and Character Components

Partial breakdown of 焉:正灬

焉 is an ideographic compound. A bird 鳥 with a strange head.

Radical: 灬 + 7 more strokes

焉 Pronunciation and Pinyin

yān

Meanings of 焉 in Chinese

yān焉

Equivalent to the combination of the preposition '于' (at/in) and the pronoun '是' (this/it), often indicating location or situation in classical Chinese. It can also serve as a rhetorical particle, as seen in '心不在焉' (absent-minded).

其心之诚，世人皆可明鉴，无有丝毫矫饰藏匿焉

The sincerity of his heart is evident to all; there is no pretense or concealment whatsoever therein.

Used in rhetorical questions to mean "how can one..." or "how is it possible without...", emphasizing a necessary precondition. It implies that a certain action or outcome is impossible or illogical without a preceding understanding or step.

不了解事情真相，焉能做出正确判断？

If one doesn't understand the truth of the matter, how can one make a correct judgment?

An interrogative pronoun in classical Chinese, meaning 'how' or 'where'.

此物焉置为宜？

Where should this item be appropriately placed?

A classical Chinese rhetorical particle, often used at the end of a sentence to form a rhetorical question or to express a statement of fact or condition, similar to 'how could one...' or 'then, it is so'.