泳

yǒng
noun #9,150

Meanings

  1. 1 swimming; to swim

Examples

HSK 2
Wǒ xǐhuan yóuyǒng.
I like swimming.
HSK 3
Tā cānjiā le yóuyǒng bǐsài.
He participated in a swimming competition.

Tips

usage
泳 is almost always used in the compound 游泳 (yóuyǒng, to swim/swimming). Also: 泳池 (yǒngchí, swimming pool), 泳衣 (yǒngyī, swimsuit), 蛙泳 (wāyǒng, breaststroke).

Components

radical
氵 shuǐ
water (radical form of 水)
Three-drops water radical on the left - the side-form of 水, three abbreviated droplets that index 泳 in the vast water family alongside 河, 海, 湖, 流, 游. Here it locks the meaning to something done in water: swimming.
phonetic
永 yǒng
forever; long-flowing
Right 永 carries sound (yǒng = yǒng, no shift) and a hint of meaning - 永 originally pictured branching water currents and meant 'long, flowing.' Add water and you get 'long flowing water,' what a swimmer moves through. Family: 咏 (chant), 泳 (swim) - same phonetic, same yǒng reading.

Stroke Order

泳 yǒng