How to Write 雁 (yàn) — Meaning “wild goose”

Imagine a person (人) standing on a cliff (厂) watching a flock of wild geese (隹) fly by. The shape of 雁 visually combines these elements, helping you recall that it means "wild goose".

The stroke order starts with the cliff 厂, then the two strokes of 人 inside, and finally the bird 隹 on the right. A common mistake is making the 人 too large or out of proportion; it should be compact and fit under the cliff, while 隹 should be balanced on the right side.

雁 (wild goose) has 厂 over 隹 with a 人 inside, while 䧹 (meaning unclear, a rare character) omits the 人 and has a slightly different top. 隺 (a crane or a high-flying bird) has 宀 (roof) or 冖 over 隹 without the 人, and is not used in modern Chinese. Visually, only 雁 includes the 人 component.

雁 appears in common words like 大雁 (wild goose) and 雁群 (flock of geese), often referring to migrating geese. In Chinese culture, 雁 symbolizes loyalty and good news because wild geese fly in orderly formation and are associated with autumn and returning home, as in 归雁 (returning geese).

Common words containing 雁 include: 大雁 (dà yàn) — Wild goose; 雁群 (yàn qún) — a flock of wild geese; 归雁 (guī yàn) — Returning wild geese.