The character 油 — “oil”: how to write it and what it means
oil; gasoline
The Chinese character 油 is read yóu and means “oil; gasoline”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 油
油 has 8 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 油, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 油 is made of
On the left, 氵 “water”; on the right, 由 yóu hints at the sound.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 油
- 加油go! hang in there!; refuelHSK 4
- 加油站gas stationHSK 4
- 油条youtiao (fried dough stick)HSK 5
- 汽油gasolineHSK 5
- 酱油soy sauceHSK 6
- 石油oil, petroleumHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 油?
油 has 8 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 油 mean?
油 means “oil; gasoline”. It appears in 加油 (“go! hang in there!”), 加油站 (“gas station”), 油条 (“youtiao”), 汽油 (“gasoline”).
How do you pronounce 油?
油 is read yóu. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 油 have?
8 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 油 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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