How to Write 赝 (yàn) — Meaning “Fake / Counterfeit”

Imagine a wild goose (雁) wearing a fake shell (贝) around its neck, pretending to be valuable. The goose is not actually wealthy—it's a fraud. This silly image helps you link the character to its meaning of fake or counterfeit.

The top part 雁 has a 厂 (cliff) on the left and 隹 (short-tailed bird) on the right; be careful not to confuse it with 应 or 庆. The bottom 贝 should be written slightly narrower than the upper part, and the total stroke count is 16. A common mistake is adding an extra stroke to the bottom 贝 or misplacing the dot inside 隹.

赝 means fake or counterfeit, while 賏 (yīng) is a very rare character meaning a string of shells or a necklace, and 赘 (zhuì) means redundant or burdensome, like 赘肉 (extra fat). Visually, 赝 has a goose on top and a shell below; 賏 has two shells side by side; 赘 has 敖 on top and 贝 below. They are not interchangeable.

赝 is most commonly used in the word 赝品 (yàn pǐn), meaning a fake or forgery, especially in art, antiques, or luxury goods. You might also see 赝本 (yàn běn) for counterfeit editions of books or manuscripts. Because forgeries are a significant problem in China's antique and art markets, this character carries a strong negative connotation of deception.

Common words containing 赝 include: 赝品 (yàn pǐn) — Fake / Forgery; 赝本 (yàn běn) — Forged copy / Counterfeit edition; 辨赝 (biàn yàn) — to distinguish the fake from the genuine..