How to Write 院 (yuàn) — Meaning “courtyard or institution”

Imagine a hospital (医院) as a place where your health is made 'complete' (完) inside a walled area (阝). This connects the shape of 院 to the idea of an institution that provides full care.

The left radical 阝 should be narrow and taller than the right side, and its last stroke is a vertical hook. On the right, 完 starts with a dot above a horizontal line, and the lower part is 元 (not 无). A common mistake is making the left side too wide.

All three share the left radical 阝, but 院 has 完 on the right (meaning 'complete'), while 邮 has 由 (related to 'post') and 邯 has 甘 (a place name). Visually, 完 has a roof (宀) over 元, whereas 邮 has a vertical line through a box and 邯 has a horizontal line in 甘.

院 is used in common words like 医院 (hospital), 学院 (college), and 院子 (courtyard). Culturally, 院 often refers to a walled compound or an official institution, such as 研究院 (research institute), and is a key character in daily life and education.

Common words containing 院 include: 医院 (yī yuàn) — Hospital.; 学院 (xué yuàn) — College.; 院子 (yuàn zi) — yard.