Radical 丿

6 strokes

clouds (124b) + surpass (168a) = year 年

今年 (166) jīnnián this year

去年 (86) qùnián last year

明年 (77) míngnián next year

“These clouds surpass anything we’ve seen all year.” (picture a group of glider pilots looking at the sky and judging which clouds will give the best thermal up-currents). / [DIY pronunciation]

We use this fragment in the following character and will see it again much later, in Character 787.