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員 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
員yuánemployee; member; personnel, staffzg, 10 strokes, radical 口, rank #70070, Very Hard
yuán(yuan2)yuan T2
  1. 1employee; member; personnel, staff
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March 24, 2026

員yuán(yuan2)

The character 員 (yuán) refers to an employee, member, or personnel within an organization. It is commonly used to describe a person who is part of a group, whether in a workplace or other formal settings, emphasizing their role or position within that structure.

Strokes10Radical口Frequency#70070DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural note

In Chinese workplaces, the concept of 員 extends beyond mere employment; it often encompasses loyalty and dedication to the organization, reflecting traditional values of collective responsibility.

Memory tip

Think of 員 (yuán) as a 'circle' of people (the radical 員 resembles a person surrounded by a group). Imagine a team where each member contributes to a unified goal, highlighting the idea of belonging and contribution.

Meanings of 員

yuán(yuan2)
1employee; member; personnel, staff
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

Play it, then pick what 員 means.

About 員

員Simplified
10Strokes
口Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 員

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Podcast: 員

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AI study notes for 員

Quick Contrast

職員 (zhíyuán) vs 員 (yuán) — use 職員 for formal job titles or positions, while 員 is more general for any member or employee.

Usage Notes

Common mistakes include confusing 員 with related terms like 人 (rén), which simply means 'person'. 員 is often used in formal contexts, so be cautious about using it in casual conversation. It frequently collocates with words like '工作' (gōngzuò, work) and '成員' (chéngyuán, member).

HSK Study Tips

While 員 is not part of the official HSK vocabulary list, it can be beneficial to connect it with other HSK words related to work and membership, such as '公司' (gōngsī, company) and '職員' (zhíyuán, staff). Focus on understanding its usage in various job-related contexts.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 員 (yuán) with the simpler 人 (rén) and use it incorrectly in informal settings. For example, saying '我是一個員' (wǒ shì yīgè yuán) instead of '我是一個人' (wǒ shì yīgè rén) when simply identifying oneself.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 員

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Etymology of 員

Formation typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Simplified form of 員. Depicts the round opening (口) of a cooking pot (鼎). Based on the original meaning "round", now written as 圓. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Memory hint

money

Semantic (meaning)貝
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

What kind of character is 員?

Decomposition of 員

IDS Structure⿱口貝
員Full character
=
口kou3
top
貝bei4
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 員?

How to say employee; member; personnel, staff in Chinese

“employee; member; personnel, staff” in Chinese is員yuán

The character 員 (yuán) refers to an employee, member, or personnel within an organization. It is commonly used to describe a person who is part of a group, whether in a workplace or other formal settings, emphasizing their role or position within that structure.

When to use 員

Common mistakes include confusing 員 with related terms like 人 (rén), which simply means 'person'. 員 is often used in formal contexts, so be cautious about using it in casual conversation. It frequently collocates with words like '工作' (gōngzuò, work) and '成員' (chéngyuán, member).

員 or something close to it

職員 (zhíyuán) vs 員 (yuán) — use 職員 for formal job titles or positions, while 員 is more general for any member or employee.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 員 (yuán) with the simpler 人 (rén) and use it incorrectly in informal settings. For example, saying '我是一個員' (wǒ shì yīgè yuán) instead of '我是一個人' (wǒ shì yīgè rén) when simply identifying oneself.

Write 員

員

Practice writing 員 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Word Family of 員

Words containing this character20
人员rényuánstaff人員
员yuánperson員
演员yǎnyuánperformer演員
成员chéngyuánmember成員
委员会wěiyuánhuìcommittee委員會
队员duìyuánteam member隊員
员工yuángōngstaff員工
球员qiúyuánsports club member球員
官员guānyuánadministrator官員
工作人员staff member工作人員
议员yìyuánrepresentative議員
运动员yùndòngyuánathlete運動員
委员wěiyuáncommittee委員
会员huìyuánmember會員
参议员senator參議員
党员political party member黨員
通讯员correspondent通訊員
飞行员fēixíngyuánpilot飛行員
服务员fúwùyuánwaiter服務員
雇员gùyuánemployee雇員
Exercise 1 of 4

Words with 員

What does 人员 mean?

Frequently asked questions about 員

員 refers generally to a member or employee, while 職員 specifically denotes a staff member or personnel, often implying a more formal position.

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