How to Write 艳 (yàn) — Meaning “gorgeous; bright; colorful”

Imagine a colorful painting that is so bright it makes you say "YEAH!" (sounds like yàn). The left side looks like three strokes (丰) standing for many colors, and the right side 色 means color. So think: "Many colors, say YEAH!" to recall 艳.

The left part 丰 has three horizontal strokes: the top two are short, and the bottom one is longest and slightly angled up. Make sure the right side 色 has the top stroke as a short slash, then a horizontal line, then a vertical hook, and finally a small horizontal stroke at the bottom. A common mistake is writing the bottom of 色 too wide; keep it compact.

艴 (fú) means angry or flushed, and it is very rare in modern Chinese. 艳 is common and relates to bright colors, while 艴 is used mostly in classical texts. Visually, 艴 has the left side 弗 (fú, not) instead of 丰, and the right side is also 色. So 艳 has three horizontal strokes on the left; 艴 has a more complex left component resembling 弓 and 丨.

You often see 艳 in words describing vivid colors, like 鲜艳 (bright-colored) for flowers or clothes, and 艳丽 for stunning beauty. It can also be used in positive weather phrases like 艳阳天 (sunny day). Culturally, 艳 is a favorable word, but in women's names it can sound old-fashioned; modern names prefer 艳 less often.

Common words containing 艳 include: 鲜艳 (xiān yàn) — Bright-colored / Vivid; 艳丽 (yàn lì) — bright and beautiful; gorgeous; 艳阳 (yàn yáng) — bright sun; sunny.