yāo = y + ao1
to weigh in a balance or on a scale
Loading...
Loading mnemonics…
yuē = yu + e1
to make an appointment / to invite / approximately / pact / treaty / to economize / to restrict / to reduce (a fraction) / concise
Loading...
Loading mnemonics…

How to pronounce 約

MandarinBanana teaches pronunciation with the Marilyn Method: every Pinyin syllable is one initial plus one final, the initial becomes a person, an animal or a deity, and the final becomes a place in your memory palace — with the tone deciding which part of that place the scene happens in. Remember the little story below for each half and the whole syllable comes back with them.

= y initial

Y is for Maud Younger.

By Matthias • updated about 2 months ago
+ ao1 final

In front of the aorta.

By Matthias • updated 5 months ago
= yu initial

Yu is for Yu the Great who tamed the floods.

By Matthias • updated 5 months ago
+ e1 final

In front of the elevator.

By Matthias • updated about 2 months ago

約 character breakdown

Chinese characters are built out of smaller characters. Each component carries a mnemonic symbol - one concrete object that stands in for it - and a mnemonic story hands those objects to the person and the place that stand for the pronunciation. Learn a component once and every character that reuses it gets easier.

Component Translations
= s + Ø1
"silk" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 120), occurring in 紅|红[hong2], 綠|绿[lü4], 累[lei4] etc / also pr. [mi4]
Loading...
Loading mnemonics…
sháo = sh + ao2
spoon / ladle / CL:把[ba3] / abbr. for 公勺[gong1 shao2], centiliter (unit of volume)
Loading...
Loading mnemonics…

Characters with 約 as component

yào = y + ao4
leaf of the iris / variant of 藥|药[yao4]
Loading...
Loading mnemonics…
Oh! (interjection indicating slight surprise)
Loading...
Loading mnemonics…
yo = y + o5
(sentence-final particle expressing exhortation) / (syllable filler in a song)
Loading...
Loading mnemonics…
Loading...

Words with 約

show 172 more
committed information rate (Frame Relay); CIR
to calculate to be roughly ...
to gather at an appointed place and time

Sentences with 約

約 currently does not appear in any sentence.

Want to remember 約 for good?

Make it your learning target and MandarinBanana works out the shortest route to it: the two sounds its syllable is built from, then the components of the character itself, one short step at a time. No account needed to start.

yāo / yuē

2 translations

Comments
There aren't any comments yet.

Prompt snippets

No snippets yet.