The character 游 — “swim”: how to write it and what it means
swim; wander
The Chinese character 游 is read yóu and means “swim; wander”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 游
游 has 12 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 游, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 游 is made of
On the left, 氵 “water”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 游
- 旅游travelHSK 2
- 游泳swimming, swimHSK 2
- 游客touristHSK 3
- 游戏gameHSK 3
- 导游tour guideHSK 4
- 游玩have fun, go sightseeingHSK 4
- 游览go sightseeingHSK 5
- 出游go on a tripHSK 6
- 游人visitor (to a park), touristHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 游?
游 has 12 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 游 mean?
游 means “swim; wander”. It appears in 旅游 (“travel”), 游泳 (“swimming”), 游客 (“tourist”), 游戏 (“game”).
How do you pronounce 游?
游 is read yóu. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 游 have?
12 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 游 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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