云 yún — cloud, say · English

云

yún

cloud, say

At a glance · 云

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

云字甲骨文象云气回旋之形，本义为云；后为区别加雨作『雲』。金文、小篆承之，隶变后云兼作说话之云。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

云本义为云彩，后借为说话之辞（曰）。

Structure

云为象形字，描摹云气舒卷之状；后上方加雨以专表云彩。

At a glance

Pinyinyún

Radical二

Strokes4

UnicodeU+4E91

Character type象形

Theme天文

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English cloud, say Yun was originally a pictograph of clouds and was later also used as a verb meaning to say.

Français nuage, dire Yun était à l'origine un pictogramme des nuages et a ensuite servi de verbe signifiant dire.

Español nube, decir Yun era originalmente un pictograma de nubes y luego se usó como verbo que significa decir.

العربية سحاب، يقول يون كان في الأصل رسماً للسحب ثم استُخدم فعلاً بمعنى يقول.

Русский облако, говорить Юнь изначально была пиктограммой облаков и позже стала глаголом «говорить».

Common words

云彩yún cǎicloud
乌云wū yúndark cloud

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