yōu
adjective HSK 7-9 #7,648

Meanings

  1. 1 excellent; superior
  2. 2 ample; generous
  3. 3 preferential

Examples

Tā chéngjì yōuxiù.
Her grades are excellent.
Zhège yǒu shénme yōudiǎn?
What are the advantages of this?
Wǒmen yǒu yōuhuì jià.
We have a discounted price.

Tips

usage
is mainly used in compounds: 优秀 (excellent), 优点 (advantage), 优惠 (preferential/discount), 优先 (priority), 优美 (graceful). It contrasts with (inferior).

Components

radical
rén
person (left-side radical of 人)
Left person radical, the side form of . In the traditional the right side was (anxious), and originally meant an actor or performer — a person playing a role. The radical indexes in the human-quality family ( trust, benevolence, excellent).
phonetic
yóu
especially; outstanding (here phonetic + semantic)
Right supplies the sound yóu → yōu with a tone shift, and pulls a small semantic load too: itself means 'especially, outstanding,' reinforcing the 'superior, excellent' sense of . Replaces the more complex in the 1956 reform — a cleaner, easier graph for the same word.

Stroke Order

yōu