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英 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
YīngUnited Kingdomj, 8 strokes, radical 艹, rank #4121, Hard
YīngBritishj, 8 strokes, radical 艹, rank #4121, Hard
YīngEnglandj, 8 strokes, radical 艹, rank #4121, Hard
YīngEnglishj, 8 strokes, radical 艹, rank #4121, Hard
Yīngabbr. for 英國j, 8 strokes, radical 艹, rank #4121, Hard
Yīng>英国[Yīng guó]j, 8 strokes, radical 艹, rank #4121, Hard
Yīngbravej, 8 strokes, radical 艹, rank #4121, Hard
Yīngpetal, flower, leaf; brave, heroic; Englishj, 8 strokes, radical 艹, rank #4121, Hard
Yīngabbr. for 英國|英国[Ying1 guo2]unknown, 8 strokes, radical 艹, rank #4121, Hard
Yīng(Ying1) T1
  1. 1United Kingdom
  2. 2British
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026
Yīng(Ying1)

The character 英 (Yīng) primarily refers to England or the United Kingdom, and is commonly used to denote anything British or English. Additionally, it can express qualities such as bravery or heroism, making it versatile in both geographic and descriptive contexts.

Strokes8RadicalFrequency#4121DifficultyHard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the character 英 is often associated with the idea of heroism, reflecting the admiration for brave figures in history, such as military leaders. This cultural reverence influences its use in modern contexts.

Memory Tip

Think of 英 (Yīng) as a brave knight (the 'Ying' sounds like 'ing') in England, holding a flag with the English rose on it. The character has the radical for 'hero' and evokes imagery of valor and petals, linking bravery with beauty.

Meanings of 英

Yīng(Ying1)
1United Kingdom
2British
Exercise 1 of 3

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 英

Simplified
8Strokes
Radical
简称abbreviation (abbr.)Part of Speech
#4121Frequency Rank

Podcast: 英

JasonAmy

Podcast:

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 英

Quick Contrast

英 (Yīng) vs 英雄 (yīngxióng) — use 英 for British-related contexts and 英雄 specifically for the concept of a hero.

Memory Mnemonic

Think of 英 (Yīng) as a brave knight (the 'Ying' sounds like 'ing') in England, holding a flag with the English rose on it. The character has the radical for 'hero' and evokes imagery of valor and petals, linking bravery with beauty.

Usage Notes

英 is often used in compound words, such as 英國 (Yīngguó, meaning 'United Kingdom') and 英文 (Yīngwén, meaning 'English language'). Common mistakes include confusing it with the similar-sounding characters; always check context to ensure correct usage.

HSK Study Tips

Though 英 is not part of the official HSK levels, it connects with vocabulary related to countries and languages, which are important for beginner learners. Focus on its use in phrases that indicate nationality or language.

Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the character 英 is often associated with the idea of heroism, reflecting the admiration for brave figures in history, such as military leaders. This cultural reverence influences its use in modern contexts.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 英 with other characters that have similar sounds, such as 应 (Yīng, meaning 'should'). For example, mistakenly using 英国 (Yīngguó) when one means to say 应该 (Yīnggāi, meaning 'should') is a common error.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 英

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Etymology of 英

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 央 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

flower

Semantic (meaning)
+
Phonetic (sound)
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 英?

Decomposition of 英

IDS Structure⿱艹央
Full Character
=
cao3
top
yang1
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 英?

Write 英

Practice writing stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Grammar Patterns of 英

Exercise 1 of 4

Complete the Sentence

你会说____语吗?

Can you speak English?

Common Confusions with 英

vs
yìng

Similar pronunciation but different meaning.

vs
yīng

Same pronunciation but different meaning.

Exercise 1 of 1

Spot the Difference

Which character means "United Kingdom"?

or

Example Sentences for 英 (10)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
我见到过这个身着灰色套装的英俊男士。

wǒ jiàn dào guò zhè gè shēn zháo huī sè tào zhuāng de yīng jùn nán shì。

I saw this nice-looking man in a gray suit.
2
我离开剑桥时,透支了1万英镑。

wǒ lí kāi jiàn qiáo shí, , tòu zhī1 le 1 wàn。

When I left Cambridge I had a £10,000 overdraft.
3
我发现脚下的水只有3英尺深。

wǒ fā xiàn jiǎo xià de shuǐ zhī yǒu3 3 yīng chǐ。

I found myself in water only three feet deep.
4
离最近的酒吧有长长的5英里的路程。

lí zuì jìn de jiǔ bā yǒu cháng cháng de5 5 yīng lǐ de lù。

It was five long miles to the nearest pub.
5
学生常常赶数百英里的路来到这里。

xué shēng cháng cháng gǎn shù bǎi yīng lǐ de lù lái dào zhè lǐ。

Students often travel hundreds of miles to get here.
6
英国的亚裔年轻人通常被吸引到医学、法律及工程专业。

yīng guó de yà yì nián qīng rén tōng cháng bèi xī yǐn dào yī xué、 、 fǎ lǜ jí gōng chéng zhuān。

Traditionally young Asians in Britain have gravitated towards medicine, law and engineering.
7
那个节目将包括英格兰与爱尔兰比赛的实况报道。

nà gè jié mù jiāng bāo kuò yīng gé lán yǔ ài ěr lán bǐ sài de shí kuàng bào dào。

That programme will include live commentary on the England-Ireland game.
8
透支的客户每月要缴纳5英镑的费用。

tòu zhī de kè hù měi yuè yào jiǎo nà5 5 yīng bàng de fèi。

Customers who arrange overdrafts will face a monthly charge of £
9
每个月的彩池奖金总额达1,350万英镑。

měi gè yuè de cǎi chí jiǎng jīn zǒng é dá1,350 1,350 wàn yīng。

Each month the total prize kitty is £5 million.
10
该公司不得不为裁员支付4.72亿英镑的补偿款。

gāi gōng sī bù dé bù wéi cái yuán zhī fù4.72 4.72 yì yīng bàng de bǔ cháng。

The company has had to make redundancy payments of £472 million.

Cultural Notes for 英

🏮Cultural insight

In Chinese culture, the character 英 is often associated with the idea of heroism, reflecting the admiration for brave figures in history, such as military leaders. This cultural reverence influences its use in modern contexts.

Word Family of 英

Compounds18
ying1a gem's luster; crystal
Words Containing This Character20
英国United Kingdom 聯合王國|联合王国[Lián​hé​wáng​guó]英國
英雄yīngxiónghero
英语yīngyǔEnglish (language)英語
Yīnghero
英里mile (unit of length equal to 1.609 km)
英尺foot (unit of length equal to 0.3048 m)
英寸inch (unit of length equal to 2.54 cm.)
英镑yīngbàngpound sterling英鎊
精英jīngyīngcream
英格兰England英格蘭
英俊yīngjùnhandsome
英文yīngwénEnglish (language)
英勇yīngyǒngheroic
英特尔Intel英特爾
马英九Ma Ying-jeou (1950-), Taiwanese Kuomintang politician, Mayor of Taipei 1998-2006, president of Republic of China 2008-2016馬英九
英国人British person英國人
英明yīngmíngwise
英亩acre英畝
美英US and UK
中英Sino-British
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 瑛 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 英

英 (yīng) is a character that means 'England' or 'British', while 英国 (Yīngguó) specifically refers to the 'United Kingdom.' In essence, 英 is a part of the word that describes the country, while 英国 denotes the nation as a whole.