# How to draw an ellipse?

As I know, I can draw a circle using:

\draw (1,0) circle (2)

I try this kind of method to draw a \draw ellipse, failed. Would you tell me how to draw a ellipse? What's wrong with the code below?

The code is:

\documentclass{minimal}

\usepackage{tikz}
\usepackage{verbatim}
\begin{document}

% Define the rings. Store them in macros to make things
% more flexible.
\def\boundellipse {(0,0) ellipse (10,5)}

\begin{tikzpicture}
% Then we draw the rings
\draw \boundellipse;

\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

PSTricks' ellipse syntax might be closer to your requirement. Here it is \psellipse(<centerX, centerY>)(<semi-major-length, semi-minor-length>).

\documentclass[pstricks,border=12pt]{standalone}

\begin{document}
\begin{pspicture}[showgrid=true](8,6)
\psellipse[linecolor=red](4,3)(4,3)
\pscircle[linecolor=blue](4,3){2}
\end{pspicture}
\end{document}

\documentclass[border=3pt]{standalone}
\usepackage{tikz}

\begin{document}
\tikz \draw (0,0) ellipse (2cm and 1cm);

or

\begin{tikzpicture}
\draw (0,0) ellipse (2cm and 1cm);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

EDIT:

\documentclass[border=3pt]{standalone}
\usepackage{tikz}
\def\myellipse{(0,0) ellipse (2cm and 1cm)}

\begin{document}
\tikz \draw \myellipse ;

or

\begin{tikzpicture}
\draw \myellipse;
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}
• Yes, it did work. Thanks, however if I draw a circle like this way: \def\boundellipse {(0,0) circle(2)} then draw , it can work, why can not ellipse? Jul 28, 2012 at 12:40

With a macro

}
• +1. A pgfmanual extract: "ellipse has exactly the same effect as circle. The older syntax for this command is ellipse ( x radius and y radius ). As for the circle command, this syntax is not as good as the standard syntax." Jul 28, 2012 at 20:46

The notion is xdim and ydim, you are using xdim, ydim:

\documentclass{minimal}
\usepackage{tikz}

\begin{document}

\newcommand{\boundellipse}[3]% center, xdim, ydim
{(#1) ellipse (#2 and #3)
}

\begin{tikzpicture}
\draw \boundellipse{0,0}{10}{5};
\draw \boundellipse{4,1}{-2}{4};
\draw \boundellipse{-2,4}{1}{3};

\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

\documentclass{minimal}
\usepackage{tikz}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}[yscale=2]
\draw (1,0) circle (2);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

• by far the simplest and best answer.
– abcd
Aug 24, 2017 at 0:37
• Why use scale if there's an ellipse function? Nov 26, 2017 at 14:14
• why not?................
– Leox
Nov 26, 2017 at 18:28
• @Leox Because this is a bad way of drawing an ellipse that would scale everything else in the drawing. Sep 19, 2021 at 16:31