contributes the sense of a settled place — a town · Kangxi radical 163

contributes the sense of a settled place — a town, district or region — and often just supplies the sound yi

The old graph stacked two parts: an enclosure 口 standing for the walled area of a town, and beneath it the bent shape of a person kneeling or sitting, meaning people settled inside those walls. In the modern form the top square is the walled ground and the lower 巴 is that seated figure, flattened and squared off. When 邑 sits on the right of a character it shrinks to 阝, the shape seen in place names. In several characters here, such as 悒 and 挹, it is borrowed only for its sound yi rather than for the idea of a town.

邑 at a glance

Meaning
contributes the sense of a settled place — a town
Strokes
7
Characters
4
Role
Contributes meaning and sound
Kangxi radical
163

Characters with 邑

Beyond HSK · 4

Frequently asked questions

What does the component 邑 mean?

邑 means "contributes the sense of a settled place — a town". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning and sound.

How many Chinese characters contain 邑?

4 characters in this dictionary contain 邑.

Is 邑 a radical?

Yes — 邑 is Kangxi radical 163, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.

How many strokes does 邑 have?

邑 is written in 7 strokes.