yān

drown

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components
氵 meaning component

  Meaning component

shuishuǐ

  

water

is a component form of .

奄 sound component

  Sound component

yǎnyān

  

ere long

Evolution

淹 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
淹 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
淹 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
淹 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

yān

drown; cover with liquid, steep; to flood; to submerge; to drown; to irritate the skin (of liquids); to delay

Most common words with 淹
Freq.
Word
Meaning

淹没

to submerge

淹死

to drown

to flood

范仲淹

also writer and author of On Yueyang Tower 岳陽樓記|岳阳楼记

淹水

to be flooded