攸 meaning and stroke order
Distant, far; adverbial prefix
How to write 攸, 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.
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Meaning of 攸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- distant, far
- adverbial prefix
How 攸 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 攵 (to rap), shared by 36 characters on this site.
How to remember 攸
Picture a person 亻 standing by a long vertical line 丨, while a hand with a stick 攵 taps them onward down a road that stretches far away. The person, the long line, and the striking hand together suggest something distant that still pulls you along.
攸 (yōu) almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. It survives mainly in the formal word 攸关 (yōuguān), meaning "to concern" or "to bear on", and in the set phrase 生死攸关 (shēngsǐ yōuguān). Example: 这是生死攸关的问题。(Zhè shì shēngsǐ yōuguān de wèntí.) This is a matter of life and death.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 攸 with 悠 (yōu, leisurely, long), which has the same sound and adds 心 underneath. Write 生死攸关, not 生死悠关. Another common mix-up is 修 (xiū, to repair), which looks similar but adds 彡 in the lower right.
Common words with 攸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 生死攸关 | shēngsǐyōuguān | matter of life and death | |
| 攸关 | yōuguān | of great concern |
Characters that contain 攸
Learning 攸 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 攸
How many strokes are in 攸?
攸 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 攸 mean?
攸 (yōu) means distant, far; adverbial prefix. A common word with it is 生死攸关 (shēngsǐyōuguān), meaning "matter of life and death".
How do you pronounce 攸?
攸 is pronounced yōu, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 攸?
The radical of 攸 is 攵, which carries the idea of "to rap". Dictionaries list 攸 under this radical.
Can I use 攸关 in everyday conversation?
It sounds formal and bookish. You will see it in news, speeches, and writing, for example 与国家利益攸关 (concerning national interests). In casual speech people usually say 关系到 (guānxì dào) or 很重要 (hěn zhòngyào) instead.
Why does the dictionary call 攸 an adverbial prefix?
In Classical Chinese, 攸 often worked as a grammatical particle placed before a verb, roughly like "that which" or "where". This use has disappeared from modern Chinese. Today you mostly need it only in fixed expressions like 攸关.