元 yuán yuan
yuan; currency unit; first
How to remember 元: 一 one + 兀 pedestal = yuan. The proud shopkeeper glues the one coin from her very first sale onto a tiny pedestal, her lucky yuan.
Component breakdown
元 = 一 one + 兀 pedestal
- 一 one
- 兀 pedestal
The proud shopkeeper glues the one coin from her very first sale onto a tiny pedestal, her lucky yuan.
How it came to be
A figure with two strokes laid across the top, pointing at the head. What is pointed at is the top, the beginning, the first of a thing.
How it is used
- The formal, written word for the currency unit - 五元 (wǔ yuán) 5 yuan, as printed on money and receipts; in speech people say 块 (kuài) instead.
- Also 'first / primary': 元旦 (Yuándàn) New Year's Day, 元素 (yuánsù) element, 元首 (yuánshǒu) head of state.
Characters built with 元
Words with 元
- 元旦YuándànNew Year's DayHSK 5
- 单元dānyuánunit (forming an entity)HSK 5
- 元宵yuánxiāoLantern FestivalHSK 6
- 元素yuánsùelement (key component of something)HSK 6
- 公元gōngyuánCE (Common Era)HSK 6
- 多元duōyuánpoly-HSK 6
- 元老yuánlǎosenior figureHSK 7
- 元首yuánshǒuhead of stateHSK 7
- 状元zhuàngyuantop scorer in the palace examinationHSK 9
Example sentences
- 我存了一万元。 Wǒ cúnle yíwàn yuán.I saved 10,000 yuan.
- 这张10美元钞票是假的。 zhè zhāng 10 měi yuán chāo piào shì jiǎ de。This ten-dollar note is a counterfeit .