忧 meaning and stroke order
Sad, grieving; melancholy, grief
How to write 忧, 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 忧
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to worry
- to concern oneself with
- worried
- anxiety
- sorrow
- (literary) to observe mourning
How 忧 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
忄 gives the meaning and 尤 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 忧
The heart radical 忄 on the left shows this is a feeling, and 尤 (yóu) on the right gives the sound. Picture a heart weighed down by something, which is what worry feels like.
忧 is rarely used alone in everyday speech and mostly appears in words like 担忧 (dānyōu), 忧虑 (yōulǜ) and 忧郁 (yōuyù). It sounds more formal than 担心 (dānxīn). Example: 父母很担忧他的健康。(Fùmǔ hěn dānyōu tā de jiànkāng.) His parents are very worried about his health.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 忧 (yōu, first tone) with 优 (yōu, excellent), which has the person radical 亻 instead of the heart radical 忄. Also make sure the right side is 尤 with its small dot, not 龙 or 尢.
Common words with 忧
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 担忧 | dānyōu | to worry; to be concerned | HSK 6 |
| 忧郁 | yōuyù | sullen; depressed; melancholy; dejected | HSK 7-9 |
| 忧虑 | yōulǜ | to worry; anxiety (about) | HSK 7-9 |
| 无忧无虑 | wúyōu-wúlǜ | (idiom) carefree; without worries | HSK 7-9 |
| 忧愁 | yōuchóu | to be worried | HSK 7-9 |
| 后顾之忧 | hòugùzhīyōu | fears of trouble in the rear (idiom); family worries (obstructing freedom of action); worr | HSK 7-9 |
| 忧伤 | yōushāng | distressed; laden with grief | |
| 忧心 | yōuxīn | concerned; worried | |
| 忧郁症 | yōuyùzhèng | (psychology) depression | |
| 高枕无忧 | gāozhěnwúyōu | to sleep peacefully (idiom); (fig.) to rest easy |
忧 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 忧
How many strokes are in 忧?
忧 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 忧 mean?
忧 (yōu) means sad, grieving; melancholy, grief. A common word with it is 担忧 (dānyōu), meaning "to worry; to be concerned".
How do you pronounce 忧?
忧 is pronounced yōu, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 忧?
The radical of 忧 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 忧 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 忧?
The traditional form of 忧 is 憂. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 忧 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 忧 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 忧 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 忧郁 and 忧愁?
忧郁 (yōuyù) describes a lasting gloomy or depressed state and is also used in 忧郁症 (yōuyùzhèng), depression. 忧愁 (yōuchóu) means being troubled or sorrowful about something, usually a specific worry.
How do you say carefree using 忧?
Use the idiom 无忧无虑 (wúyōu-wúlǜ), literally without worry and without anxiety. For example, 小时候我们无忧无虑。(Xiǎo shíhou wǒmen wúyōu-wúlǜ.) As children we were carefree.