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How to Write 鹰 (yīng) — Meaning “eagle or hawk”

yīng HSK Level 7 18 strokes Radical: 鸟

鹰 (yīng) means "eagle or hawk" in Chinese. It has 18 strokes with the radical 鸟, and is HSK Level 7.

Rated 4.2/5 in difficulty (advanced).

Harder than 100% of HSK Level 7 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 老鹰 (lǎo yīng), 雄鹰 (xióng yīng), 鹰爪 (yīng zhǎo).

Due to its 18 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 鹰 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 鹰 - yīng

Practice Writing 鹰 (yīng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 鹰 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 鹰

The character 鹰 (yīng) is written with 18 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 鸟 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does yīng (鹰) Mean in Chinese?

鹰 means eagle or hawk.

As an HSK Level 7 character, 鹰 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character鹰
Pinyinyīng (ying)
Meaningeagle or hawk
Strokes18
Radical鸟
HSK Level7
Difficulty4.2/5

Origin of 鹰

鹰 combines the radical 鸟 (bird) on the right with 广 (cliff) and 隹 (short-tailed bird) on the left. The ancient form depicted a bird of prey (隹) perched under a cliff (广), later reinforced with 鸟 to emphasize the bird category. This reflects eagles and hawks nesting on high cliffs and scanning for prey.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a proud eagle (鸟) sitting under a rocky cliff (广), with a smaller bird (隹) clutched in its talons—the king of the sky.

Common Words with 鹰

老鹰 lǎo yīng
An eagle.
雄鹰 xióng yīng
eagle
鹰爪 yīng zhǎo
eagle's talons

Example Sentences

天上有只老鹰在飞。

tiān shàng yǒu zhǐ lǎo yīng zài fēi

There is an eagle flying in the sky.

雄鹰在蓝天中翱翔。

xióng yīng zài lán tiān zhōng áo xiáng

The eagle soars in the blue sky.

老鹰的鹰爪很有力。

lǎo yīng de yīng zhǎo hěn yǒu lì

The eagle's talons are very powerful.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
鹰 (current) yīng 18 鸟
鹦 yīng 16 鸟
鹧 zhè 16 鸟
鹨 liù 16 鸟
Stroke order practice for 鹰 - yīng

Practice Writing 鹰 (yīng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 鹰 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 鹰

鹰 has a left side made of 广 (roof) over 隹 (short-tailed bird), and a right side 鸟 (bird). Together, these three components emphasize that an eagle is a type of bird, often seen as a ruler of the skies, like a bird under a roof of power.

More HSK Level 7 Characters

伯bó呵hē哎āi哀āi唉āi/ài癌ái艾ài/yì滋zī抚fǔ逸yì昂áng凹āo/wā熬āo/áo奥ào卦guà扒bā/pá芭bā蕾lěi柄bǐng靶bǎ

Characters with Radical 鸟

袅niǎo鸟niǎo鸠jiū鸡jī鸢yuān鸥ōu鸦yā鸧cāng鸨bǎo鸩zhèn

Other 18-Stroke Characters

冁chǎn嚣xiāo巂guī彝yí彞yí懮yǒu懵měng戳chuō曚méng曛xūn