役
Character learning workspace

yì · servant, laborer

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

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Learn every stroke in 役

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 役 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Writing notes

Shape and proportion

7Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Left-rightCharacter structure

Keep the left side compact and leave enough room for the right side.

彳Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 役 writing sheet

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 役

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

yìWords pronounced yì
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Example sentences

Notice where 役 sits in each complete thought.

Tāng mǔ shì yí gè yuè jūn tuì yì jūn rén.汤姆是一个越军退役军人。

Tom is a Vietnam veteran.

Source: Tatoeba #5085423 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Hěn duō shì bīng zài zhè chǎng zhàn yì zhōng yán zhòng shòu shāng.很多士兵在这场战役中严重受伤。

Many soldiers suffered terrible wounds in the battle.

Source: Tatoeba #1578942 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā de ér zǐ zhèng zài fú yì.他的兒子正在服役。

His son is serving his sentence.

Source: Tatoeba #346933 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Měi gè ā ěr jí ní yà de nán xìng shì mín dōu xū yào fú bīng yì.每个阿尔及尼亚的男性市民都需要服兵役。

Every male Algerian citizen must do military service.

Source: Tatoeba #9690030 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zhè lǐ céng shì hēi sī tíng sī zhàn yì de zhàn chǎng.这里曾是黑斯廷斯战役的战场。

This is the place where the battle of Hastings took place.

Source: Tatoeba #1746023 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā zài fú yì.他在服役。

He is on duty.

Source: Tatoeba #1324001 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 役 in context

  1. Say yì, then recall the core meaning: servant, laborer.
  2. Write all 7 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Use it in 战役 (zhàn yì), meaning “military campaign”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 役 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.