英 yīng — petal · English

英

yīng

petal

At a glance · 英

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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.

「英」从艸央声，小篆从艸英声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「英」本义为花（草华），引申杰出、精英、英雄。

Structure

从艸、央声，形声字，艸表植物义类，央表音，本为花、杰出。

At a glance

Pinyinyīng

Radical艹

Strokes9

UnicodeU+82F1

Character type形声

Theme植物

Six languages, one character

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

English petal petal, flower, leaf; brave, a hero; England, English

Français élite / héros Élite, héros. «亦聚群英» : les talents éminents.

Español élite / héroe Élite, héroe. «亦聚群英»: los talentos eminentes.

العربية نخبة / بطل نخبة، بطل. «亦聚群英»: المواهب البارزة.

Русский элита / герой Элита, герой. «亦聚群英»: выдающиеся таланты.

Common words

英雄yīng xiónghero
英语yīng yǔEnglish

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