How to Write 烊 (yáng/yàng) — Meaning “to melt (metal); to dissolve”

Imagine a sheep (羊) standing too close to a fire (火) — its wool starts to melt! The image of a "melting sheep" helps you connect the fire radical and the sheep component to the meaning "to melt." This funny picture makes it easy to recall both the shape and the sense of 烊.

Write the radical 火 first, with the left dot, right dot, then the long left-falling stroke and the final dot. Then add 羊 on the right, starting with two dots, then three horizontal strokes, and a vertical line through the middle. A common mistake is making the 火 radical too wide or misplacing its last dot — keep it compact so the right side has enough space.

烊 (yáng) means "to melt metal" and is used in words like 打烊 (close shop). 炅 (jiǒng) means "bright" or "fiery" and is not related to melting. 炆 (wén) means "to warm over a slow fire" and is used in cooking contexts. Visually, 烊 has 羊 on the right, 炅 has 日 (sun), and 炆 has 文 (writing) — the different right parts give each character its unique meaning.

烊 appears most often in the common word 打烊 (dǎ yàng), which means "to close a shop for the night." You will see signs saying 快打烊 (kuài dǎ yàng) meaning "about to close." It also appears in 烊化 (yáng huà) for melting or dissolving, but 打烊 is the most practical word for everyday life.

Common words containing 烊 include: 打烊 (dǎ yàng) — to close shop (for the night); 烊化 (yáng huà) — to melt; to dissolve; 快打烊 (kuài dǎ yàng) — About to close (for a shop).