How to say “have” in Chinese
have, there is
“Have” in Chinese is 有, yǒu: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
有 is read yǒu. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
A hand holding a piece of meat: “I have”.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “有”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 有. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我有哥哥wǒyǒugēgeI have an older brother.
- 我没有姐姐wǒméiyǒujiějieI don't have an older sister.
- 你有弟弟吗？nǐyǒudìdimaDo you have a younger brother?
- 你有没有妹妹？nǐyǒuméiyǒumèimeiDo you have a younger sister?
- 我有哥哥没有姐姐wǒyǒugēge,méiyǒujiějieI have an older brother, but no older sister.
- 我有一个哥哥wǒyǒuyígegēgeI have one older brother.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “My family”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “have” in Chinese?
“Have” in Chinese is 有, pinyin yǒu.
What does 有 mean?
有 (yǒu) means “have, there is”.
How do you write 有?
有 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 有?
有 is read yǒu. Tones: yǒu — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“have” in the lesson “My family”
This word is from the topic “Family and people” of HSK 1. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free