How to Write 姻 (yīn) — Meaning “marriage; affinity”

Picture a woman (女) inside a square (因 resembles a closed space) — this suggests that marriage brings a woman into a new family circle. Imagine the woman saying "Yīn (因) I am now part of this family!" to reinforce the sound and meaning.

The left side 女 must keep its last stroke short so it doesn't extend into the right side. A common mistake is writing the right component 因 with too large an opening — the enclosing box should fully contain 大, and the vertical strokes should be straight.

While 姻 (yīn) means marriage and uses 因 as a phonetic, 妊 (rèn) means pregnancy and combines 女 with 壬 (rén), and 妍 (yán) means beautiful and uses 开 (kāi). Visually, 姻 has a closed box 因, whereas 妊 has a flat top 壬 and 妍 has an open top 开.

姻 appears in formal terms related to marriage, such as 婚姻 (hūn yīn, marriage) and 姻亲 (yīn qīn, in-laws). It often carries a sense of destined connection, as in 姻缘 (yīn yuán, predestined marriage), reflecting the traditional Chinese view that marriage is fated.

Common words containing 姻 include: 婚姻 (hūn yīn) — Marriage; matrimony; 姻亲 (yīn qīn) — relatives by marriage; in-laws; 姻缘 (yīn yuán) — predestined marriage; fate that brings people together.