How to Write 飖 (yáo) — Meaning “To float or sway in the wind”

Imagine a strong wind (风) blowing a kite that looks like the right part 䍃—the kite floats and sways in the air. The shape of 䍃 resembles a kite with a tail, so when the wind hits it, it 飖 (sways). This visual helps connect the character to its meaning.

When writing 飖, keep the left radical 风 narrow and the right part 䍃 wider for balance. A common mistake is forgetting the dot inside 风 or making the right part too tall—especially the top three strokes (爫) should be small and flat. Practice the right side carefully because it has many strokes.

飖 (yáo) means to float or sway gently in the wind, while 飓 (jù) means a hurricane or strong storm, and 飕 (sōu) is the whistling sound of wind. Visually, 飖 has the right part 䍃, 飓 uses 具 (tool), and 飕 uses 叟 (old man). So the right-side component is the main clue to distinguish them.

飖 is rare in daily conversation and appears mostly in literary or poetic contexts. The common word 飘飖 describes things like flags, clouds, or leaves floating gracefully. It carries a classical, elegant feel and is sometimes used to evoke a traditional or dreamy atmosphere.

Common words containing 飖 include: 飘飖 (piāo yáo) — To float; to soar; 飖动 (yáo dòng) — To sway; to flutter; 飖飏 (yáo yáng) — To float or soar in the wind.