宇 meaning and stroke order
Building, house, room, structure; space, the universe
How to write 宇, stroke by stroke
6 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
Meaning of 宇
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- room
- universe
How 宇 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Building.
宀 gives the meaning and 于 hints at the sound.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 宇
宇 has the roof radical 宀 on top, which gives the idea of a building, and 于 (yú) underneath, which gives the sound. Picture a huge roof stretching so wide that it covers everything, like the whole universe.
Today 宇 almost never appears alone. It shows up mostly in space words like 宇宙 (yǔzhòu) and 宇航员 (yǔhángyuán), and in the older building sense in 庙宇 (miàoyǔ, temple). Example: 他想当宇航员。(Tā xiǎng dāng yǔhángyuán.) He wants to be an astronaut.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 宇 (yǔ) with 字 (zì, character), since both have 宀 on top. Look at the bottom: 宇 has 于 with a hooked vertical through two horizontals, while 字 has 子.
Common words with 宇
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
宇 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 宇
How many strokes are in 宇?
宇 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 宇 mean?
宇 (yǔ) means building, house, room, structure; space, the universe. A common word with it is 宇航员 (yǔhángyuán), meaning "astronaut".
How do you pronounce 宇?
宇 is pronounced yǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 宇?
The radical of 宇 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 宇 under this radical.
Is 宇 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 宇 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 宇 and 宙 in 宇宙?
Both characters have the roof radical 宀, and together they form one word meaning universe or cosmos. In everyday Chinese you use 宇宙 as a single unit and do not need to split it.
Is 宇 used in Chinese names?
Yes, 宇 is a popular character in given names, such as 浩宇 (Hàoyǔ) or 宇轩 (Yǔxuān). Parents like it because it suggests vastness and big ambitions.