岩 yán — rock, cliff · English

岩

yán

rock, cliff

At a glance · 岩

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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.

小篆从山嚴声，形声字，本指高峻的山崖。隶楷作「巖」，简化作「岩」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「岩」本指险峻的山石，泛指岩石。

Structure

形声字，山为意符，嚴（严）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinyán

Radical山

Strokes8

UnicodeU+5CA9

Character type形声

Theme地理

Six languages, one character

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

English rock, cliff Rock, cliff, crag.

Français roche, falaise Roche, falaise, paroi rocheuse.

Español roca, acantilado Roca, acantilado, risco.

العربية صخر، جرف صخر أو جرف صخري.

Русский скала, утёс Скала, утёс, каменистый обрыв.

Common words

岩石yán shírock
岩yáncliff

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