The character 余 — “remainder”: how to write it and what it means
remainder; surplus
The Chinese character 余 is read yú and means “remainder; surplus”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 余
余 has 7 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 余, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 余 is made of
This same character appears in 途, 斜 and 除.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 余
- 业余amateur; in one's spare timeHSK 5
- 其余the restHSK 5
- 余额balance (on an account)HSK 6
- 剩余be left over; surplusHSK 6
- 多余superfluous, excessiveHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 余?
余 has 7 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 余 mean?
余 means “remainder; surplus”. It appears in 业余 (“amateur”), 其余 (“the rest”), 余额 (“balance”), 剩余 (“be left over”).
How do you pronounce 余?
余 is read yú. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 余 have?
7 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 余 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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