元
yuan (Chinese currency unit)
HSK level
- Pinyin
- yuán
- Part of speech
- measure word
- Level
- HSK 3
- Strokes
- 4
- Register
- written
Stroke order for 元
元 is written with 4 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
What does 元 mean?
元 (yuán) is the formal name of the Chinese monetary unit, equivalent to one 'dollar' of 人民币 (RMB, the People's Currency).
It is the standard term in writing, on price tags, in banking, and in news reports: 一百元 (100 yuan). In spoken conversation, however, native speakers almost always say 块 (kuài) instead — 一百块 sounds natural where 一百元 sounds like reading from a receipt. The relationship: 1 元 = 10 角 (jiǎo, spoken as 毛 máo) = 100 分 (fēn). 元 also has older general meanings ('first; origin'; cf.
元旦 'New Year's Day,' literally 'first dawn') and appears in proper nouns like 元朝 (the Yuan Dynasty). In modern daily life, though, the currency meaning dominates. Counter-friendly rule: 元 appears after the number, just like dollars in English: 三十元 ('thirty yuan').
Note: 元 is the formal/written name for the basic unit of Chinese currency (人民币). In everyday speech, almost everyone says 块 (kuài) instead. You will see 元 on price tags, receipts, bank apps, and contracts; you will hear 块 at markets, restaurants, and taxis.
Example sentences
这件衣服一百元。
Zhè jiàn yīfu yìbǎi yuán.
This piece of clothing is 100 yuan.
neutral
一共五十元。
Yígòng wǔshí yuán.
Fifty yuan in total.
neutral
请付二百元。
Qǐng fù èrbǎi yuán.
Please pay two hundred yuan.
written
一美元等于多少元？
Yì měiyuán děngyú duōshao yuán?
How many yuan does one US dollar equal?
neutral
元旦快乐！
Yuándàn kuàilè!
Happy New Year!
spoken
Common phrases with 元
Synonyms
Don't confuse 元 with
员 means 'member; staff' (服务员 'waiter,' 学员 'student/trainee'). Same pinyin, different character. Don't write 服务元.
园 means 'garden / park' (公园 'park,' 花园 'garden'). Same pinyin, different character.
圆 means 'round / circle.' Historically, 元 and 圆 were interchangeable as currency names (and 圆 still appears on actual RMB notes). In modern writing, 元 is standard for money.
FAQ
Acquire it by listening
Meet 元 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 元 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.