How to write 衣 (yī, “clothes”)
衣, an HSK 1 character, is read yī for “clothes” and “Kangxi radical 145”, and also yì (“to dress”). Among the HSK words it appears in 衣服 (“clothes”), 上衣 (“jacket”) and 大衣 (“overcoat”). Japanese reads it i, “garment”, as a JLPT N2 kanji.
- Pinyin
- yī, yì
- Strokes
- 6
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 衣 (“clothes”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- Vertical ㇑topdown and right
- Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
- Left-falling stroke ㇒topdown and left
- Vertical-rising ㇙leftdownwards → up and right
- Left-falling stroke ㇒rightdown and right → down and left
- Right-falling stroke ㇏centerdown and right
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 6 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| yī first tone | clothes; Kangxi radical 145 | — | 衣服 上衣 大衣 雨衣 |
| yì fourth tone | to dress; to wear; to put on (clothes) | — | — |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 1 word
- Words with it
- 172 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 衣
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 衣服 | yīfu | clothes HSK 1 |
| 上衣 | shàngyī | jacket; upper outer garment HSK 3 |
| 大衣 | dàyī | overcoat; topcoat HSK 3 |
| 雨衣 | yǔyī | raincoat HSK 3 |
| 洗衣机 洗衣機 | xǐyījī | washing machine; washer HSK 3 |
| 毛衣 | máoyī | (wool) sweater HSK 4 |
| 内衣 內衣 | nèiyī | undergarment; underwear HSK 6 |
| 衣食住行 | yī-shí-zhù-xíng | clothing, food, housing and transportation (idiom); people's basic… HSK 6 |
| 更衣室 | gēngyīshì | change room; dressing room HSK 7-9 |
| 节衣缩食 節衣縮食 | jiéyī-suōshí | to save on food and clothing (idiom); to live frugally HSK 7-9 |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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Contain it:
HSK 1, in list order: