余 meaning and stroke order
(literary) I; me; variant of 餘|余[yu2]
How to write 余, stroke by stroke
7 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
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 余
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- extra
- surplus
- remaining
- remainder after division
- (following numerical value) or more
- in excess of (some number)
How 余 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 人 (man), shared by 30 characters on this site.
How to remember 余
The top of 余 is 人 (rén), a person, like a roof over what sits below. Picture a person standing over a small pile of leftover food, guarding the surplus that remains after everyone else has eaten.
余 usually appears in compounds about what is left over or extra, such as 其余 (qíyú) and 剩余 (shèngyú). After a number it means "or more": 三十余人 (sānshí yú rén) means more than thirty people. Example: 我的余额不多了。(Wǒ de yú'é bù duō le.) My balance is running low.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 余 (yú) with 除 (chú, to remove), because 除 contains 余 on its right side. Also, 余 after a number means "more than," not "remainder," so 十余年 is "over ten years," not "the rest of ten years."
Common words with 余
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 其余 | qíyú | the rest; the others | HSK 4 |
| 业余 | yèyú | in one's spare time; outside working hours | HSK 4 |
| 多余 | duōyú | superfluous; unnecessary | HSK 7-9 |
| 余地 | yúdì | margin; leeway | HSK 7-9 |
| 剩余 | shèngyú | to remain; to be left over; what remains; what's left | HSK 7-9 |
| 余额 | yú'é | balance (of an account, bill etc); surplus | HSK 7-9 |
| 余生 | yúshēng | the remaining years of one's life; survival (after a disaster) | |
| 余下 | yúxià | remaining | |
| 绰绰有余 | chuòchuòyǒuyú | (idiom) more than enough | |
| 残余 | cányú | remnant; relic | |
| 不遗余力 | bùyíyúlì | to spare no pains or effort (idiom); to do one's utmost | |
| 空余 | kòngyú | free; vacant |
余 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 余
Learning 余 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 余
How many strokes are in 余?
余 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 余 mean?
余 (yú) means (literary) I; me; variant of 餘|余[yu2]. A common word with it is 其余 (qíyú), meaning "the rest; the others".
How do you pronounce 余?
余 is pronounced yú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 余?
The radical of 余 is 人, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 余 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 余?
The traditional form of 余 is 餘. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 余 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 余 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 余 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 3.
What is the difference between 余下 and 剩下?
Both mean "remaining" or "left over." 剩下 (shèngxià) is the everyday spoken choice, while 余下 (yúxià) sounds more formal and written.
How do you say "remainder" in math with 余?
In division, the remainder is 余数 (yúshù). For example, 七除以二得三余一 (qī chú yǐ èr dé sān yú yī) means seven divided by two is three remainder one.