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

yóu cause, reason; from 5 strokes · Radical 田 (field) · HSK 4 required writing character

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced yóu.

cause
reason
from

Stroke Order & Practice

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

由 — 5 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Radical

The radical of 由 is 田 — meaning field. 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: 申.

How the character is built

由 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. Road 丨 leading to the farm 田.

HSK 4 Words Containing 由

由 yóu by; from; due to

这篇文章由他翻译。

Zhè piān wénzhāng yóu tā fānyì.

This article was translated by him.

由于 yóuyú due to; because of (formal)

由于天气原因，航班取消了。

Yóuyú tiānqì yuányīn, hángbān qǔxiāo le.

Due to weather, the flight was cancelled.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

由 appears in 39 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

生活的态度由自己选择。

From Mock Exam 11 →

由于没好好复习，今天考得不怎么样。

From Mock Exam 11 →

由于面的味道很特别，在众多食客中名气很大。

From Mock Exam 03 →

FAQ

What does 由 mean in Chinese?

由 (yóu) means cause, reason; from. It is one of the 150 characters required for the HSK 4 writing section.

How many strokes does 由 have?

由 is written in 5 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 由?

The radical of 由 is 田 (field). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 申.

What is the pinyin for 由?

由 is pronounced yóu.

What HSK 4 words use 由?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 由 appears in 2 words, including 由 (yóu), 由于 (yóuyú). See the full list above.