How to Write 瀛 (yíng) — Meaning “ocean; sea”

Imagine the water radical 氵 on the left, and the right part 嬴 as 'win' — you win a voyage across the ocean to the legendary island of 瀛洲 (Yingzhou). This connects the character to both the idea of water and a mythical destination.

The character has 19 strokes, so take care to write the left radical 氵 as three distinct dots in a diagonal line. The right part 嬴 is complex: it consists of 亡, 口, 月, 贝, and 凡 stacked vertically — a common mistake is mixing up the order of these components or making the right side too narrow.

The key difference is the right side: 瀛 has 嬴 (yíng) meaning 'full,' 濞 has 鼻 (bí) meaning 'nose,' and 濠 has 豪 (háo) meaning 'heroic' or 'moat.' Visually, 瀛's right side has many small parts stacked, while 濞's right side resembles a nose and 濠's right side is simpler. In usage, 瀛 means ocean, 濞 appears in place names like 漾濞, and 濠 means a defensive moat.

瀛 is not common in daily conversation but appears in literary or formal contexts, such as 瀛海 (the vast ocean) or 寰瀛 (the whole world). It is also famous from 瀛洲, a mythical island in Chinese legends, often referenced in classical poetry and fantasy stories.

Common words containing 瀛 include: 瀛海 (yíng hǎi) — the vast ocean; 寰瀛 (huán yíng) — The whole world; 瀛洲 (yíng zhōu) — Yingzhou (a mythical island or place name).