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

Imagine a mountain (山) with a cliff so steep that if you slip, you might yell "Yaaa!" (like the sound yá). The bottom part 厓 looks like a person falling off the edge, helping you remember it means a dangerous cliff.

The stroke order starts with the mountain radical 山, then the left side 厂 (a horizontal stroke followed by a left-falling stroke), and finally the 圭 (two stacked 土 characters). A common mistake is making the 山 too large or squeezing the bottom part; keep the mountain small and balanced above the wider lower section.

崖 (yá) means a cliff or precipice and is used in common words like 悬崖. 峇 (bā) is rare in Chinese and mostly appears in foreign place names like 峇里岛 (Bali Island); it does not mean cliff. 峋 (xún) is only used in the compound 嶙峋 (lín xún), which describes jagged or rugged rocks, not a single cliff face.

崖 appears in everyday words like 山崖 (mountain cliff) and 悬崖 (hanging cliff or precipice). A famous cultural phrase is 悬崖勒马 (xuán yá lè mǎ) meaning "to rein in at the brink of the cliff"—a metaphor for stopping a dangerous action before it is too late.

Common words containing 崖 include: 山崖 (shān yá) — Cliff; 悬崖 (xuán yá) — cliff; 崖壁 (yá bì) — cliff face.