予 meaning and stroke order
To give; to award
How to write 予, stroke by stroke
4 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
- 4
Meaning of 予
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) to give
- (archaic) I
- me
How 予 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 亅 (hook), shared by 5 characters on this site.
How to remember 予
The bottom of 予 (yǔ) looks like 丁, a hook shape, with a small loop on top. Picture a hand hooking a gift and passing it down to someone, so 予 means to give.
予 is mostly used in formal or written Chinese, usually inside set words like 给予 (jǐyǔ), 授予 (shòuyǔ) and 予以 (yǔyǐ) rather than on its own. In everyday speech people say 给 (gěi) instead. Example: 学校授予他一等奖。(Xuéxiào shòuyǔ tā yī děng jiǎng.) The school awarded him first prize.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 予 with 矛 (máo, spear), which has an extra stroke, or with 子 (zǐ), which has no top loop. Also note that in 给予 the 给 is read jǐ, not gěi.
Common words with 予
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
予 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 予
Learning 予 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 予
How many strokes are in 予?
予 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 予 mean?
予 (yǔ) means to give; to award. A common word with it is 给予 (jǐyǔ), meaning "(literary) to give; to accord; to render".
How do you pronounce 予?
予 is pronounced yǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 予?
The radical of 予 is 亅, which carries the idea of "hook". Dictionaries list 予 under this radical.
Is 予 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 予 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 给予 and 给?
给 (gěi) is the normal everyday word for give. 给予 (jǐyǔ) is formal and usually takes abstract objects like 帮助 (help), 支持 (support) or 关注 (attention), as in 给予帮助.
Why does 予 sometimes mean I or me?
In classical Chinese 予 was read yú and used as a first person pronoun, similar to 余 (yú). You will see this only in old texts or literary quotations, not in modern speech.