Dictionary › 元

元

yuán

HSK 2 Character

What 元 means

1. currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan)
2. bound formfirst; original; primary
3. bound formbasic; fundamental
4. bound formconstituent; part
5. (prefix) meta-
6. mathargument; variable
7. era (of a reign)
8. Taiwangeologyeon

Other readings

元 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• Yuánsurname Yuan; Yuan dynasty (1279–1368)

Example sentences

• 50日元。
  It's 50 yen.
• 只要十元！
  It only costs $10.00!
• 日元涨了。
  The Japanese yen appreciated.
• 元旦快乐！
  Happy New Year!
• 元旦就在眼前。
  Yuándàn jiù zàiyǎnqián.
  New Year's Day is close at hand.
• 这衬衫要十元。
  This shirt costs ten dollars.

Words starting with 元

• 元旦Yuán dànNew Year's Day
• 元素yuán sùelement (key component of sth); (chemistry) element; (math) element (member of a set)
• 元首yuán shǒuhead of state
• 元宵节Yuán xiāo jiéLantern Festival, the final event of the Spring Festival 春节, on 15th of first month of…
• 元年yuán niánfirst year of an emperor's reign; first year of an era…
• 元帅yuán shuài(military) marshal; commander-in-chief
• 元老yuán lǎosenior figure; doyen; founding member; veteran
• 元月Yuán yuèfirst month (of either lunar or Western calendars)
• 元音yuán yīnvowel
• 元代Yuán dàithe Yuan or Mongol dynasty (1279-1368)
• 元朝Yuán cháoYuan or Mongol dynasty (1279-1368)
• 元气yuán qìvigor; strength; vitality
• 元宝yuán bǎoa silver or gold ingot; mock ingot (burnt as offering in worship)…
• 元宵yuán xiāoLantern Festival; night of the 15th of the first lunar month; see also 元夜
• 元件yuán jiànelement; component
• 元凶yuán xiōngchief offender; main culprit
• 元器件yuán qì jiàncomponent
• 元勋yuán xūnleading light; founding father; principal proponent
• 元组yuán zǔtuple
• 元好问Yuán Hào wènYuan Haowen (1190-1257), famous poet Northern China during the Jin-Yuan transition
• 元数据yuán shù jùmetadata
• 元认知yuán rèn zhīmetacognition
• 元语言yuán yǔ yánmetalanguage
• 元资料yuán zī liàometadata

Words containing 元

• 美元měi yuánAmerican dollar; US dollar
• 公元gōng yuánCE (Common Era); Christian Era; AD (Anno Domini)
• 单元dān yuánunit (forming an entity); element; (in a residential building) entrance or staircase
• 多元化duō yuán huàdiversification; pluralism; to diversify
• 欧元ōu yuáneuro (currency)
• 纪元jì yuáncalendar era; epoch
• 日元rì yuányen (currency of Japan)
• 状元zhuàng yuántop scorer in the palace examination (highest rank of the Imperial examination system)…
• 公元前gōng yuán qiánBCE (before the Common Era); BC (before Christ)
• 港元gǎng yuánHong Kong dollar
• 澳元ào yuánAustralian dollar
• 蔡元培Cài Yuán péiCai Yuanpei (1868-1940), educationist and politician, president of Peking University…
• 开元Kāi yuánTang emperor Xuanzong's 唐玄宗
• 银元yín yuánflat silver (former coinage); also written 银圆; silver dollar
• 朱元璋Zhū Yuán zhāngZhu Yuanzhang, personal name of first Ming dynasty emperor Hongwu 洪武
• 韩元hán yuánwon (currency of South Korea)
• 欧元区Ōu yuán qūEurozone
• 崔永元Cuī Yǒng yuánCui Yongyuan (1963-), TV presenter
• 姚文元Yáo Wén yuánYao Wenyuan (1931-2005), one of the Gang of Four
• 赵元任Zhào Yuán rènYuen Ren Chao (1892-1982), Chinese-American linguist
• 微量元素wēi liàng yuán sùtrace element (chemistry)
• 大元帅dà yuán shuàigeneralissimo
• 新纪元xīn jì yuánnew era; new epoch
• 万元户wàn yuán hùhousehold with savings or annual income of 10,000 yuan or more…

Characters that look like 元

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 尤yóuoutstanding; particularly, especially; a fault
• 厄èdistressed
• 丸wánball; pellet; pill

Sounds the same

Read yuán, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 员(bound form) person engaged in a certain field of activity; (bound form) member…
• 原former; original; primary
• 园land used for growing plants; site used for public recreation…
• 圆circle; round; circular
• 源root; source; origin
• 援to help; to assist; to aid
• 缘cause; reason; karma
• 辕shaft of a cart or carriage; (bound form) entrance gate of a military camp or yamen…
• 袁long robe (old)
• 猿ape
• 媛used in 婵媛
• 垣wall