優 meaning and stroke order
Superior; elegant
How to write 優, stroke by stroke
17 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 優
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- excellent
- superior
How 優 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 憂 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 優
優 is a person 亻 standing next to 憂 (yōu), which gives the sound. Picture a person who stays calm and graceful even beside worry 憂, and that poise makes them superior and elegant.
優 is the traditional form of 优 and appears mostly in compound words about quality or advantage, such as 優秀 (yōuxiù) and 優點 (yōudiǎn). It is rarely used alone in modern speech. Example: 她的成績很優秀。(Tā de chéngjì hěn yōuxiù.) Her grades are excellent.
Common mistake: Learners often drop the 亻 and write 憂 (yōu, worry), which has the same sound but the opposite feeling. Remember that 優 needs the person radical on the left.
Common words with 優
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 優勢 | yōushì | superiority; dominance | HSK 3 |
| 優點 | yōudiǎn | merit; benefit | HSK 3 |
| 優秀 | yōuxiù | outstanding; excellent | HSK 4 |
| 優美 | yōuměi | graceful; fine | HSK 4 |
| 優良 | yōuliáng | fine; good | HSK 4 |
| 優先 | yōuxiān | to have priority; to take precedence | HSK 5 |
| 優惠 | yōuhuì | privilege; favorable (terms) | HSK 5 |
| 優質 | yōuzhì | excellent quality | HSK 6 |
| 優雅 | yōuyǎ | grace; graceful | HSK 7-9 |
| 優異 | yōuyì | exceptional; outstandingly good | HSK 7-9 |
| 優越 | yōuyuè | superior; superiority | HSK 7-9 |
| 優化 | yōuhuà | to optimize; (corporate euphemism) to lay off staff | HSK 7-9 |
| 優惠券 | yōuhuìquàn | coupon | |
| 女士優先 | nǚshìyōuxiān | Ladies first! |
Questions about 優
How many strokes are in 優?
優 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 優 mean?
優 (yōu) means superior; elegant. A common word with it is 优势 (yōushì), meaning "superiority; dominance".
How do you pronounce 優?
優 is pronounced yōu, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 優?
The radical of 優 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 優 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 優?
優 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 优, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 優 and 憂?
Both are read yōu, but 憂 means worry or anxiety, while 優 with 亻 means excellent or superior. In simplified Chinese they become 优 and 忧, which also differ only by the left side.
How do you say advantages and disadvantages using 優?
Use 優點 (yōudiǎn) for merits and 缺點 (quēdiǎn) for shortcomings. For competitive advantage, 優勢 (yōushì) is common, and its opposite is 劣勢 (lièshì).