雁 yàn — wild goose · English

雁

yàn

wild goose

At a glance · 雁

Listen

Audio is synthesized in your browser: Mandarin for the character and Shuowen text, native voices for every translation. No downloads.

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.

小篆从隹厂声，形声字，本指雁类候鸟。隶楷作「鴈」（或「雁」）。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「雁」本指一种大型候鸟，常列队而飞。

Structure

形声字，隹为意符（鸟），厂为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinyàn

Radical隹

Strokes12

UnicodeU+96C1

Character type形声

Theme动物

Six languages, one character

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

English wild goose A wild goose (migratory bird).

Français oie sauvage Une oie sauvage (oiseau migrateur).

Español ganso salvaje Un ganso salvaje (ave migratoria).

العربية وزّة برّية إوزة برية مهاجرة.

Русский дикий гусь Дикий гусь (перелётная птица).

Common words

大雁dà yànwild goose
雁yàngoose

◉ Listen