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媛 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
媛yuánbeauty; beautiful womanzg, 12 strokes, radical 女
媛yuánbeautiful (woman)unknown, 12 strokes, radical 女
媛yuána beautyunknown, 12 strokes, radical 女
媛yuànbeauty; beautiful womanzg, 12 strokes, radical 女
媛yuànbeautiful (woman)unknown, 12 strokes, radical 女
媛yuàna beautyunknown, 12 strokes, radical 女
yuán(yuan2)
primary
 T2
  1. 1beauty; beautiful woman
  2. 2beautiful (woman)
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

媛yuán(yuan2)

The character 媛 (yuán) refers to a beautiful woman or beauty. It is often used in literary contexts or when discussing aesthetics, and it carries a positive connotation related to charm and elegance.

Strokes12Radical女
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, beauty is often celebrated through poetry and art, and the term 媛 reflects this appreciation. It can also be found in historical texts that describe esteemed women in society.

Memory Tip

Imagine a 'yuán' (woman) standing gracefully with flowing hair, surrounded by blooming flowers (the radicals denote beauty). Visualize her as the epitome of beauty in a fairytale, making it easier to remember the character and its meaning.

Meanings of 媛

yuán(yuan2)
primary
1beauty; beautiful woman
2beautiful (woman)
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 媛

媛Simplified
12Strokes
女Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 媛

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Podcast: 媛

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 媛

Usage Notes

While 媛 is used to describe a woman's beauty, it is more often found in literary or poetic contexts rather than in everyday conversation. Learners should avoid using this term in overly casual settings. Common collocations include '美媛' (měi yuán) meaning 'beautiful woman'.

HSK Study Tips

As this character is not included in the HSK levels, focus on recognizing it in literature or poetry. Connect it with other words related to beauty, such as 美 (měi), to enhance your vocabulary related to aesthetics.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 媛 with other beauty-related terms such as 美 (měi) and 美女 (měinǚ). Remember that 媛 specifically refers to a beautiful woman in a more poetic or formal context, while 美女 is more casual.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 媛

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Etymology of 媛

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

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 爰 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

woman

Semantic (meaning)女
+
Phonetic (sound)爰
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 媛

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 爰 represents the sound.

  1. 1The meaning half女 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half爰 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaywoman
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 媛? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 媛?

Decomposition of 媛

IDS Structure⿰女爰
媛Full Character
=
女nü3
left
爰Yuan2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 媛?

How to say beauty; beautiful woman in Chinese

“beauty; beautiful woman” in Chinese is媛yuán

The character 媛 (yuán) refers to a beautiful woman or beauty. It is often used in literary contexts or when discussing aesthetics, and it carries a positive connotation related to charm and elegance.

When to use 媛

While 媛 is used to describe a woman's beauty, it is more often found in literary or poetic contexts rather than in everyday conversation. Learners should avoid using this term in overly casual settings. Common collocations include '美媛' (měi yuán) meaning 'beautiful woman'.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 媛 with other beauty-related terms such as 美 (měi) and 美女 (měinǚ). Remember that 媛 specifically refers to a beautiful woman in a more poetic or formal context, while 美女 is more casual.

Write 媛

媛

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

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 媛

Words Containing This Character5
媛yuánbeautiful (woman)
名媛debutante
彭丽媛Peng Liyuan (1962-), PRC folk music singer, wife of Xi Jinping 習近平|习近平[Xí​Jìn​píng]彭麗媛
徐熙媛also called 大S
婵媛to be interwoven嬋媛
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 媛 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 媛

You can say: '她是一位美媛' (Tā shì yī wèi měi yuán) meaning 'She is a beautiful woman.'

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