How to Write 迎 (yíng) — Meaning “to welcome; to meet”

Imagine you are walking (辶) toward a friend who is raising their hand (the top of 卬 looks like an arm raised) to wave hello. The sound "ying" sounds like "yell" — you might yell "Welcome!" when you see them.

Write the right part 卬 first, then add the radical 辶 last. A common mistake is to make the 辶 too small or to write the strokes of 卬 in the wrong order: start with a left-falling stroke, then a vertical hook, then a horizontal bend hook, and finally a vertical stroke.

The right side of 迎 is 卬 (like a person raising their head), while 巡 has 巛 (three wavy lines meaning to patrol) and 边 has 力 (power/strength). Visually, 卬 looks like a standing figure, 巛 looks like three dots or curves, and 力 is a simple hook shape.

迎 is often used in greetings like 欢迎 (huān yíng, 'Welcome!') and 迎接 (yíng jiē, 'to greet someone formally'). It also appears in 迎面 (yíng miàn, 'head-on'), describing something coming directly toward you, like wind or a person.

Common words containing 迎 include: 欢迎 (huān yíng) — Welcome; 迎接 (yíng jiē) — to welcome; to greet; 迎面 (yíng miàn) — head-on; face-to-face.