Dictionary › 阎

阎

yán

Character Traditional 閻

What 阎 means

1. literarythe gate of a lane

Other readings

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

• Yánsurname Yan (sometimes written {闫|Yán} in recent years)

Words starting with 阎

• 阎王Yán wang(Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell; (fig.) cruel and tyrannical person
• 阎君Yán jūn(Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell
• 阎罗Yán luó(Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell
• 阎老Yán lǎo(Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell
• 阎魔Yán mó(Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell
• 阎王殿Yán wáng diànYama's palace
• 阎王爷Yán wáng yé(Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell
• 阎罗殿Yán luó diànYama's palace
• 阎罗王Yán luó wáng(Buddhism) Yama, the King of Hell
• 阎良区Yán liáng QūYanliang, a district of Xi'an City 西安市
• 阎锡山Yán Xī shānYan Xishan (1883-1960), warlord in Shanxi
• 阎王好见，小鬼难当Yán wáng hǎo jiàn , xiǎo guǐ nán dānglit. standing in front of the King of Hell is easy, but smaller devils are difficult to…
• 阎良Yán liángsee 阎良区

Words containing 阎

• 见阎王jiàn Yán wáng(colloquial) to meet one's maker; to kick the bucket; to die

Characters built on 臽

These share the phonetic component 臽 (xiàn), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 焰yànflame
• 谄chǎnto flatter; to cajole
• 萏dànlotus

Characters that look like 阎

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

• 阐chǎnto express; to disclose; to enlighten
• 阈yùthreshold
• 痫xiánepilepsy; insanity
• 圃pǔgarden; orchard
• 阉yānto castrate; a castrate; neuter
• 阄jiūlots (to be drawn); lot (in a game of chance)

Sounds the same

Read yán, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 颜color; face; countenance
• 言words; speech; to say
• 研to grind; study; research
• 严tight (closely sealed); stern; strict
• 盐salt
• 延to prolong; to extend; to delay
• 沿along; to follow (a line, tradition etc); to carry on
• 炎flame; inflammation; -itis
• 岩cliff; rock
• 妍beautiful
• 檐eaves; ledge or brim
• 筵bamboo mat for sitting