The character 有 — “have”: how to write it and what it means
have, there is
The Chinese character 有 is read yǒu and means “have, there is”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 有
有 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 有, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 有 is made of
A hand holding a piece of meat: “I have”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 有
- 没有not have, there isn'tHSK 1
- 有的someHSK 1
- 有些some, certainHSK 1
- 有点儿a bit (negative)HSK 1
- 有时sometimesHSK 2
- 有意思interestingHSK 2
- 有名famousHSK 3
- 只有only if; onlyHSK 3
- 有用usefulHSK 3
- 有关be related to; aboutHSK 3
- 有趣interesting, funHSK 4
- 所有all (before a noun)HSK 4
- 有效effective; validHSK 4
- 现有existingHSK 4
- 有着have, possessHSK 4
- 有力strong, powerfulHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 有?
有 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 有 mean?
有 means “have, there is”. It appears in 没有 (“not have”), 有的 (“some”), 有些 (“some”), 有点儿 (“a bit”).
How do you pronounce 有?
有 is read yǒu. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 有 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 有 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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