院 is a Chinese character with 9 strokes, radical 阝 (mound), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
院 is a phono-semantic compound and does not have an oracle-bone pictograph of its own. It is built from 阜 (mound, earthwork, written as the left 阝) as the semantic element and 完 (wán, complete) as the phonetic. The 阜 radical points to walls and earthen enclosures, fitting the character's meaning of a walled courtyard.
Form evolution
The character is first securely attested in seal script, where 阝 and 完 are drawn as clearly separate components. In the clerical reform the curved seal strokes were squared off and 阝 took its standard narrow left-hand shape. The kaishu form is essentially identical to the clerical one, with no simplified variant in modern use.
How the meaning evolved
Early uses refer concretely to a wall or the area enclosed by one, then by extension to a courtyard within a residence. From the Tang dynasty onward it broadened to name whole institutional compounds built around courtyards, such as temples, academies, and government offices. Modern Mandarin keeps both senses: the physical courtyard (院子) and the institution (医院 hospital, 学院 college, 法院 court).
Cultural note
The traditional siheyuan (四合院) of Beijing takes its name directly from this character, meaning a courtyard enclosed on all four sides. Learners should note that 院 almost always implies an enclosed or institutional space, unlike 园 (yuán, garden/park), which suggests openness.
Mnemonic
A walled-off complete space — courtyard, institution
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Stroke count | 9 strokes |
| Radical | 阝 (#170: mound) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #602 most common |
Example sentences
医院在那边。
Yīyuàn zài nàbiān.
The hospital is over there.
From 医院 (HSK 1)
这个案件将在法院进行审理。
Zhège ànjiàn jiāng zài fǎyuàn jìnxíng shěnlǐ.
This case will be heard in court.
From 法院 (HSK 5)
病人康复后终于可以出院了。
Bìngrén kāngfù hòu zhōngyú kěyǐ chūyuàn le.
After recovering, the patient can finally leave the hospital.
From 出院 (HSK 3)
Words containing 院
Related characters
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.