羊 (yáng): sheep; goat

Measure Word

一只羊 zhī

Meanings

1 sheep; goat
2 surname Yang

Characters

羊

yáng

sheep; goat

A pictograph of a sheep's face with horns — itself a radical appearing in characters like 美 (beautiful) and 鲜 (fresh).

Examples

山上有很多羊。

Shānshang yǒu hěnduō yáng.

There are many sheep on the mountain.

羊肉很好吃。

Yángròu hěn hǎochī.

Lamb is delicious.

他们在放羊。

Tāmen zài fàng yáng.

They are herding sheep.

Tips

culture

羊 is one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. The character 羊 also appears in 美 (beautiful) and 善 (good) — sheep symbolized goodness in ancient China.

usage

Chinese doesn't distinguish sheep from goats — both are 羊. To be specific: 绵羊 (sheep) vs 山羊 (goat).

Components

pictograph

羊 yáng

sheep; goat

Single self-pictograph — a frontal view of a sheep's head: two curving horns at the top (the 丷 strokes), a long face, and a centerline down the muzzle. Self-radical (Kangxi #123). Carries deep cultural weight: 美 (beauty = big sheep), 善 (good = sheep speech), 鲜 (fresh = fish + sheep), 群 (flock) all share this radical because sheep were the prototype of mild, valuable livestock.