How to write (yóu) — Stroke Order, Radical & Practice

yóu oil, fat, grease, lard; oil paints 8 strokes · Radical (water) · HSK 4 required writing character

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced yóu.

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
油 — 8 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图(数字为下笔顺序)。

Decomposition

breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

=
left water
right cause

Radical

The radical of is — meaning water. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: .

How the character is built

is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component (water) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component originally indicated the sound.

HSK 4 Words Containing 油

jiāyóu to add oil; come on! (cheer)
你一定能成功,加油!
Nǐ yídìng néng chénggōng, jiāyóu!
You will definitely succeed, come on!
jiāyóuzhàn gas station; petrol station
前面有一个加油站。
Qiánmiàn yǒu yī ge jiāyóuzhàn.
There's a gas station ahead.
yóu oil; grease
锅里放一些油。
Guō lǐ fàng yìxiē yóu.
Put some oil in the pan.

Tasks Featuring 油 / 相关任务

Words containing appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 谈论交通出行
Transportation & Travel · 加油、加油站
📚 介绍饮食情况
Food & Dining ·

FAQ

What does 油 mean in Chinese?

油 (yóu) means oil, fat, grease, lard; oil paints. It is one of the 150 characters required for the HSK 4 writing section.

How many strokes does 油 have?

油 is written in 8 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 油?

The radical of 油 is 氵 (water). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 济, 江, 深, 汤, 流.

What is the pinyin for 油?

油 is pronounced yóu.

What HSK 4 words use 油?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 油 appears in 3 words, including 加油 (jiāyóu), 加油站 (jiāyóuzhàn), 油 (yóu). See the full list above.

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