乙(yǐ): second of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shi2 tian1 gan1]
HSK 51 stroke
second of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shi2 tian1 gan1]
Stroke order animation
Character information
- Pinyin
- yǐ
- Meaning
- second of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shi2 tian1 gan1]; second in order; letter "B" or Roman "II" in list "A, B, C", or "I, II, III" etc; second party (in legal contract, usually 乙方[yi3 fang1], as opposed to 甲方[jia3 fang1]); ethyl; bent; winding; radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 5); ancient Chinese compass point: 105°
- Strokes
- 1
- HSK level
- HSK 5
- Traditional
- Same
Origin & structure
Where 乙 comes from and how its parts fit together.
Pictograph
A swallow
A drawing of the thing it names.
How to write 乙 step by step
1 stroke — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.
- 1
Words with 乙
Common words using 乙 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.
yǐ乙nǚ女
(slang) maiden; young lady (orthographic borrowing from Japanese 乙女 "otome", used esp. …
Open 乙女 page →Related characters
Ready to master 乙?
Trace 乙 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.