拥 meaning and stroke order
To have, to hold; to embrace, to hug; to flock, to throng
How to write 拥, stroke by stroke
8 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
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- 8
Meaning of 拥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to hold in one's arms; to embrace
- to surround; to gather around
- to throng; to swarm
- (bound form) to support (as in 擁護|拥护[yong1 hu4])
- (literary) to have; to possess
- Taiwan pr. [yong3]
How 拥 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 用 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 拥
拥 combines the hand radical 扌 with 用 (yòng), which gives the sound. Picture your hands put to use wrapping around someone in a hug.
拥 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in words like 拥有 (yōngyǒu, to own), 拥抱 (yōngbào, to hug) and 拥挤 (yōngjǐ, crowded). Example: 地铁里很拥挤。(Dìtiě lǐ hěn yōngjǐ.) The subway is very crowded.
Common mistake: Learners often read 拥 as yòng because of the phonetic part 用, but it is first tone yōng. Also do not confuse it with 佣 (yōng/yòng, servant; commission), which has the person radical instead of the hand.
Common words with 拥
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 拥有 | yōngyǒu | to have; to possess; to own | HSK 5 |
| 拥抱 | yōngbào | to embrace; to hug | HSK 5 |
| 拥挤 | yōngjǐ | crowded; to throng | HSK 7-9 |
| 拥护 | yōnghù | to endorse; to support | HSK 7-9 |
| 簇拥 | cùyōng | to crowd around; to escort | HSK 7-9 |
| 相拥 | xiāngyōng | to hug each other | |
| 拥护者 | yōnghùzhě | supporter (person) | |
| 蜂拥而至 | fēngyōng'érzhì | to arrive in huge numbers; to flock there |
拥 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 拥
How many strokes are in 拥?
拥 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 拥 mean?
拥 (yōng) means to have, to hold; to embrace, to hug; to flock, to throng. A common word with it is 拥有 (yōngyǒu), meaning "to have; to possess; to own".
How do you pronounce 拥?
拥 is pronounced yōng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 拥?
The radical of 拥 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 拥 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 拥?
The traditional form of 拥 is 擁. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 拥 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 拥 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 拥 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 拥有 and 有?
有 (yǒu) is the everyday word for having something. 拥有 (yōngyǒu) is more formal and usually used for significant things like wealth, rights, talent or property, as in 他拥有一家公司 (He owns a company).
Why is 拥 pronounced yǒng in Taiwan?
The dictionary notes that the Taiwan standard pronunciation is third tone, yǒng, while mainland Mandarin uses first tone, yōng. Both refer to the same character and meanings.