黝 (yǒu): dark; deep black

Meanings

1 dark; deep black
2 tanned dark (of skin); swarthy

Characters

黝

yǒu

deep dark; tanned

Examples

多年下田劳作，他的皮肤晒得黝黑。

Duōnián xiàtián láozuò, tā de pífū shài de yǒuhēi.

Years working in the fields turned his skin a deep tan.

树林里一片黝黑，看不清前面的路。

Shùlín lǐ yīpiàn yǒuhēi, kàn bù qīng qiánmiàn de lù.

The forest was densely dark and impossible to see through.

黝亮的黑漆是明式家具的特征之一。

Yǒu liàng de hēiqī shì Míng shì jiājù de tèzhēng zhīyī.

Glossy dark lacquer is a hallmark of Ming-style furniture.

Tips

usage

The everyday compound is 黝黑 (deep dark / sun-tanned dark) — the only place most learners will meet 黝. It typically describes either (1) a deeply tanned, weathered complexion (皮肤黝黑), often with positive connotations of healthy outdoor labour; or (2) physical darkness — deep night, dense forest, a glossy black object. Avoid using 黝黑 of a person's natural skin tone in a way that sounds judgemental — it's neutral-to-positive when describing weathered toughness, but can read as rude in other contexts.

memory

Left 黑 (black) + right 幼 (young — supplying the sound yòu → yǒu) = a tone of black, namely 'deep' or 'tanned' black. The young element is purely phonetic; the whole semantic work is done by 黑.

Components

radical

黑 hēi

black

Left black radical (Kangxi #203). The semantic anchor: 黝 is a specific shade of black. Same radical family: 黯 (gloomy black), 黛 (eyebrow black), 黧 (dark-yellow).

phonetic

幼 yòu

young; supplying the sound

Right phonetic 幼 — supplies the sound (yòu → yǒu, regular tone shift). The 'young' meaning doesn't contribute semantically; 幼 is here purely as a sound-bearer. The same phonetic also anchors 拗 (twist).