The character 优 — “excellent”: how to write it and what it means
excellent
The Chinese character 优 is read yōu and means “excellent”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 优
优 has 6 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 优, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 优 is made of
On the left, 亻 “person”; on the right, 尤 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 优
- 优点strength, advantageHSK 4
- 优秀excellent, outstandingHSK 4
- 优质high-qualityHSK 5
- 优惠discounted, preferentialHSK 5
- 优良excellent (in quality)HSK 5
- 优美graceful, beautifulHSK 5
- 优势advantageHSK 5
- 优先have priority, firstHSK 6
- 优异excellent, outstanding (result)HSK 6
- 优化optimizeHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 优?
优 has 6 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 优 mean?
优 means “excellent”. It appears in 优点 (“strength”), 优秀 (“excellent”), 优质 (“high-quality”), 优惠 (“discounted”).
How do you pronounce 优?
优 is read yōu. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 优 have?
6 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 优 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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