泳 meaning and stroke order
To swim, to dive
How to write 泳, 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 泳
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- swimming
- to swim
How 泳 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 永 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 泳
泳 combines the water radical 氵 with 永 (yǒng, forever), which gives the sound. Picture yourself in the water, swimming on and on forever.
泳 rarely stands alone. It appears in words like 游泳 (yóuyǒng, to swim), 泳池 (yǒngchí, swimming pool) and 泳衣 (yǒngyī, swimsuit). Example: 我每个周末都去游泳。(Wǒ měi gè zhōumò dōu qù yóuyǒng.) I go swimming every weekend.
Common mistake: Learners often drop the water radical and write 永 (yǒng, forever), since both share the same pronunciation. In 游泳, also remember that 游 is second tone (yóu) and 泳 is third tone (yǒng).
Common words with 泳
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
泳 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 泳
How many strokes are in 泳?
泳 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 泳 mean?
泳 (yǒng) means to swim, to dive. A common word with it is 游泳 (yóuyǒng), meaning "swimming; to swim".
How do you pronounce 泳?
泳 is pronounced yǒng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 泳?
The radical of 泳 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 泳 under this radical.
Is 泳 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 泳 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Can I say 我泳 to mean I swim?
No. In everyday speech you use 游泳 (yóuyǒng) as the verb, as in 我会游泳 (wǒ huì yóuyǒng), I can swim. 泳 by itself mostly appears inside compound words.
What is the difference between 泳衣 and 泳装?
Both mean swimsuit. 泳衣 (yǒngyī) is the most common everyday word, while 泳装 (yǒngzhuāng) sounds a bit more formal and is often used for swimwear as a fashion category. 泳裤 (yǒngkù) refers specifically to swim trunks.