How to Write 厓 (yá) — Meaning “cliff; precipice”

Picture a jade tablet (圭) balanced dangerously on the edge of a cliff (厂). This image of a precious object at a precipice helps you remember that 厓 means "cliff" and sounds like "yá".

Write the top radical 厂 first: a short horizontal stroke followed by a left-falling stroke that extends downward. Then write 圭 with six strokes: three horizontals and two verticals, keeping it narrow so it fits under the cliff shape.

The key difference is the component inside the 厂 radical: 厓 has 圭 (jade), 压 has 土 (earth), and 厌 has 犬 (dog). Their meanings also differ: 厓 is "cliff", 压 means "to press", and 厌 means "to be disgusted".

厓 is rarely used alone in everyday speech, but appears in literary or geographical terms like 山厓 (shān yá, cliff) and 天厓 (tiān yá, meaning "the ends of the earth"). The phrase 天厓海角 (tiān yá hǎi jiǎo) is a poetic idiom for a very remote place.

Common words containing 厓 include: 山厓 (shān yá) — Cliff or precipice; 厓壁 (yá bì) — cliff face; 天厓 (tiān yá) — The end of the world / A remote place.