银 yín — silver · English

银

yín

silver

At a glance · 银

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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.

繁体「銀」从金，艮声，本义为白银。简体「银」同。形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为金属银。

Structure

形声字，从金（意符，金属），艮（gèn）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinyín

Radical钅

Strokes11

UnicodeU+94F6

Character type形声

Theme器物

Six languages, one character

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

English silver Silver, a precious metal.

Français argent L’argent, un métal précieux.

Español plata La plata, un metal precioso.

العربية فضة الفضة، معدن نفيس.

Русский серебро Серебро, драгоценный металл.

Common words

银yínsilver
银行yín hángbank

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