The character 由 — “from”: how to write it and what it means
from; reason
The Chinese character 由 is read yóu and means “from; reason”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 由
由 has 5 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 由, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 由 is made of
Like 田 “field”, but the stroke sticks out at the top. It hints at the sound of 油 and 邮 yóu.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 由
- 由于due to, becauseHSK 4
- 理由reason, argumentHSK 5
- 由此from this (lit.)HSK 5
- 自由freedom; freeHSK 5
- 由来origin, sourceHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 由?
由 has 5 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 由 mean?
由 means “from; reason”. It appears in 由于 (“due to”), 理由 (“reason”), 由此 (“from this”), 自由 (“freedom”).
How do you pronounce 由?
由 is read yóu. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 由 have?
5 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 由 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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