Learn Chinese Characters

Meaning

silver

Chinese: 白银、银子;银色。

Hear the Four Tones

The same syllable “yin” becomes a different word in each tone. 银 is the 2nd tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.

Stroke Order

Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.

Common Words

  • 银行yín hángbank
  • 银行卡yín háng kǎbank card
  • 银牌yín páisilver medal
  • 银幕yín mùmovie screen
  • 银子yín zimoney; silver

Example Sentence

月光像银子一样洒在地上。Yuè guāng xiàng yín zi yí yàng sǎ zài dì shàng.The moonlight spills on the ground like silver.

月光Yuè guāngmoonlightxiàngto resemble银子yín zimoney一样yí yàngthe sameto sprinklezàiat地上dì shàngon the ground

Go deeper

Where this character comes from

The metal radical 钅 (meaning) plus 艮 (gèn, sound): a precious metal — ‘silver’. Simplified from 銀.

A way to remember it

Metal (钅) + the sound 艮 — silver.

Easy to confuse with

  • gēn‘Heel / to follow’: shares the 艮 sound, but with the foot radical 足.