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

中国有着悠久的历史。

Zhōngguó yǒuzhe yōujiǔ de lìshǐ.

China has a long history.

她悠悠地走在小路上。

Tā yōuyōu de zǒu zài xiǎolù shang.

She strolled leisurely along the path.

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