严 (yán) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order
Pronunciation & meaning
Pronounced .
- strict
- rigorous
- rigid
- stern
Stroke Order & Practice
Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.
Decomposition
严 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Overlap. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.
Radical
The radical of 严 is 一 — meaning one. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.
Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 亚与专.
HSK 4 Words Containing 严
Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句
严 appears in 36 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:
Tasks Featuring 严 / 相关任务
Words containing 严 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:
FAQ
What does 严 mean in Chinese?
严 (yán) means strict, rigorous, rigid; stern. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).
How many strokes does 严 have?
严 is written in 7 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 严?
The radical of 严 is 一 (one). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 亚, 与, 专.
What is the pinyin for 严?
严 is pronounced yán.
What HSK 4 words use 严?
In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 严 appears in 2 words, including 严格 (yángé), 严重 (yánzhòng). See the full list above.