The character 与 — “and”: how to write it and what it means

与
yǔ

and, with (literary)

3 strokes · HSK 4 · word page

The Chinese character 与 is read yǔ and means “and, with (literary)”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 与

与 has 3 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 与, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 与 is made of

A literary counterpart of 和 and 跟.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 与

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 与?

与 has 3 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 与 mean?

与 means “and, with (literary)”. It appears in 参与 (“participate”), 与其 (“rather than…”).

How do you pronounce 与?

与 is read yǔ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 与 have?

3 strokes.

← 并 together厂 factory →

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 与 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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