严
yán · HSK 4
strict
🔒 yán sounds like 'yarn' wound tight and strict
严 means strict, stern, or tightly sealed. The pronunciation yán echoes English 'yarn' — think of yarn wound tight, a verbal hook for the 'closely sealed, strict' meaning. Common in 严格 (yángé, strict) and as the surname Yan.
严 — mouth 口 (top) + cliff 厂 + 敢 (phonetic)
严 (traditional 嚴) originally depicted shouting mouths 吅 over a cliff 厂 with 敢 'dare' as the phonetic, suggesting a stern command issued from on high. The core meaning shifted from 'urgent shouting' to 'strict, severe, solemn'. The simplified form 严 keeps the top mouth and cliff while dropping most of the phonetic.