yán

Earth element

rock, cliff

solid and firm

Element
Earth 土
Radical
Strokes
8
Use
Leans masculine

In five-element thinking, Earth carries steadiness, trust, grounding. A name built on leans on that energy.

The radical

the mountain radical (山): the mountain, endurance, loftiness, and unshakable calm.

As a given-name character, 岩 leans masculine, but a skilled namer pairs it for balance and sound. It is 8 strokes to write.

The image behind the character

维石岩岩

《诗经·节南山之什·节南山》

appears in this classical line. Read it as the picture the character draws on, part of why it carries the feeling it does.

More Earth characters

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