How to write 爷 (yé, “grandpa”)
爷 (yé), an HSK 2 character, means “grandpa” and “old gentleman”. It is HSK 2 in the 2025 syllabus, up from level 1 in the 2021 standard. The traditional form is 爺, 12 strokes instead of 6. Among the HSK words it appears in 爷爷 (“paternal grandfather”), 大爷 (“father's older brother”) and 姥爷 (“mother's father”). Japanese keeps the traditional 爺, read ya (“old man”).
- Pinyin
- yé
- Strokes
- 6
- HSK
- 2
- Radical
- 父 (“father”)
- Traditional
- 爺
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
As a top-bottom character it splits into 父 (“father”, the radical), strokes 1–4; 卩 (“seal”), strokes 5–6, written the top first.
- topdownwards → down and left
- topdown and right
- topdown and left
- toprightwards
- leftrightwards → downwards
- centerdownwards
Traditional form
- Simplified
- 爷 · 6 strokes
- Traditional
- 爺 · 12 strokes · see its strokes
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| yé second tone | grandpa; old gentleman | 爺 | 爷爷 太爷 师爷 爷们 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 2
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 3 word
- Words with it
- 28 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 爷
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 爷爷 爺爺 | yéye | paternal grandfather; grandpa HSK 2 |
| 大爷 大爺 | dàye | father's older brother; uncle HSK 5 |
| 姥爷 姥爺 | lǎoye | mother's father; maternal grandfather HSK 5 |
| 太爷 太爺 | tàiyé | (respectful for) one's grandfather; sb's father |
| 少爷 少爺 | shàoye | son of the boss; young master of the house |
| 师爷 師爺 | shīyé | (historical) privately hired legal or administrative advisor to a… |
| 爷们 爺們 | yémen | menfolk (collective term for men of different generations); husbands… |
| 老爷 老爺 | lǎoye | (respectful) lord; master |
| 太爷爷 太爺爺 | tàiyéye | father's father's father; paternal great-grandfather |
| 老大爷 老大爺 | lǎodàyé | uncle; grandpa |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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HSK 2, in list order: