悠

yōu

adjective #8,613

Meanings

1 long; drawn-out; distant (in time or space)
2 leisurely; unhurried; carefree
3 to swing; to sway

Characters

悠

yōu

long; leisurely; to swing

Examples

HSK 3

中国有着悠久的历史。

Zhōngguó yǒu zhe yōujiǔ de lìshǐ.

China has a long history.

HSK 3

她悠悠地走在小路上。

Tā yōuyōu de zǒu zài xiǎolù shang.

She strolled leisurely along the path.

HSK 7-9

孩子在秋千上悠来悠去。

Háizi zài qiūqiān shang yōu lái yōu qù.

The child swung back and forth on the swing.

Tips

usage

悠 appears in many common compounds: 悠久 (long-standing), 悠闲 (leisurely), 悠然 (carefree), 悠扬 (melodious, of sound carrying far). When doubled as 悠悠, it emphasizes the leisurely or drawn-out quality.

memory

The character 悠 has 心 (heart) at the bottom - a heart that takes its time, unhurried and at ease.

Components

radical

心 xīn

heart; mind

The heart radical at the bottom in full form (not 忄) makes the inner-state reading explicit: 悠 is a quality of mind - unhurried, far-reaching, carefree. It sits in the mental-state family with 想 think, 思 ponder, 念 miss, 感 feel.

phonetic

攸 yōu

distant; flowing along

攸 supplies the sound yōu unchanged. It also adds semantic flavour: 攸 originally showed a hand washing a person's back - a calm, drawn-out motion. That slow-flow sense underpins all the meanings of 悠: leisurely, long, swaying. Same phonetic in 修 cultivate, 条 branch.

Stroke Order

悠 yōu

悠