与 meaning and stroke order
(formal) and; together with (linking parallel nouns, verbs, or phrases); (formal) with; from (marking the other participant in an interaction, comparison, or contrast, e.g. 與他握手|与他握手[yu3 ta1 wo4 shou3] "shake hands with him", 與去年不同|与去年不同[yu3 qu4 nian2 bu4 tong2] "different from last year"); (literary) to give; to grant; to bestow
How to write 与, stroke by stroke
3 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Meaning of 与
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (formal) and; together with (linking parallel nouns, verbs, or phrases)
- (formal) with; from (marking the other participant in an interaction, comparison, or contrast, e.g. 與他握手|与他握手[yu3 ta1 wo4 shou3] "shake hands with him", 與去年不同|与去年不同[yu3 qu4 nian2 bu4 tong2] "different from last year")
- (literary) to give; to grant; to bestow
- to take part in
- variant of 歟|欤[yu2]
How 与 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 一 (one), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 与
The bottom stroke of 与 is the flat line 一 (yī), and the hooked shape above it looks like a hand reaching out over it. Picture one hand reaching across a table to give something to another person, which links to its meanings "to give" and "with".
与 (yǔ) is a formal way to say "and" or "with". You see it often in titles, news and written Chinese, while everyday speech prefers 和 (hé) or 跟 (gēn). Example: 今年的情况与去年不同。(Jīnnián de qíngkuàng yǔ qùnián bù tóng.) This year's situation is different from last year's.
Common mistake: In 参与 (cānyù, to participate) the character is read in the fourth tone yù, but many learners say cānyǔ with the third tone. Also, do not confuse 与 with 写 (xiě, to write), which has a cover 冖 on top and a similar lower part.
Common words with 与
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 参与 | cānyù | to participate (in sth) | HSK 4 |
| 与众不同 | yǔzhòng-bùtóng | (idiom) to stand out from the crowd; distinctive; different from the rest | HSK 7-9 |
| 与此同时 | yǔcǐ-tóngshí | at the same time; meanwhile | HSK 7-9 |
| 与否 | yǔ fǒu | whether or not (at the end of a phrase) | HSK 7-9 |
| 与其 | yǔqí | rather than... (used in expressions of the form 與其|与其[yu3 qi2] + {verb1} + 不如[bu4 ru2] + { | HSK 7-9 |
| 与日俱增 | yǔrì-jùzēng | to increase steadily; to grow with each passing day | HSK 7-9 |
| 与时俱进 | yǔshí-jùjìn | abreast of modern developments; to keep up with the times | HSK 7-9 |
| 无与伦比 | wúyǔlúnbǐ | incomparable | |
| 与世隔绝 | yǔshìgéjué | to be cut off from the rest of the world (idiom) | |
| 与生俱来 | yǔshēngjùlái | inherent; innate | |
| 参与者 | cānyùzhě | participant | |
| 给与 | jǐyǔ | variant of 給予|给予[ji3 yu3] | |
| 事与愿违 | shìyǔyuànwéi | things turn out contrary to the way one wishes (idiom) |
与 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 与
Learning 与 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 与
How many strokes are in 与?
与 is written with 3 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 与 mean?
与 (yǔ) means (formal) and; together with (linking parallel nouns, verbs, or phrases); (formal) with; from (marking the other participant in an interaction, comparison, or contrast, e.g. 與他握手|与他握手[yu3 ta1 wo4 shou3] "shake hands with him", 與去年不同|与去年不同[yu3 qu4 nian2 bu4 tong2] "different from last year"); (literary) to give; to grant; to bestow. A common word with it is 参与 (cānyù), meaning "to participate (in sth)".
How do you pronounce 与?
与 is pronounced yǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 与?
The radical of 与 is 一, which carries the idea of "one". Dictionaries list 与 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 与?
The traditional form of 与 is 與. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 与 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 与 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 与 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Can I use 与 instead of 和 in everyday conversation?
You can, but it sounds formal or bookish in casual speech. In daily talk people usually say 和 (hé) or 跟 (gēn), and save 与 for writing, speeches and set phrases like 与此同时 (yǔcǐ tóngshí).
How does the pattern 与其...不如... work?
It means "rather than A, it is better to B". For example, 与其等他，不如自己去。(Yǔqí děng tā, bùrú zìjǐ qù.) Rather than wait for him, it is better to go yourself.