育 meaning and stroke order
To produce, to give birth to; to educate
How to write 育, 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.
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Meaning of 育
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to have children
- to raise or bring up
- to educate
How 育 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A pregnant woman with a baby ⺼ in her womb.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 育
The top part 亠 and 厶 look like a small baby turned upside down, and ⺼ below is the body. The etymology hint describes a pregnant woman with a baby in her womb, so 育 (yù) means to give birth to and then to raise a child.
育 rarely appears alone and is mostly used in words about raising, growing, or training, such as 教育 (jiàoyù) and 体育 (tǐyù). Example: 他很重视孩子的教育。(Tā hěn zhòngshì háizi de jiàoyù.) He cares a lot about his child's education.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 育 (yù) with 有 (yǒu). Both have ⺼ at the bottom, but 育 has 亠 and 厶 on top, while 有 has a slanted 𠂇 shape. Also remember the tone is fourth tone yù, not third tone yǔ.
Common words with 育
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 教育 | jiàoyù | to educate; to teach | HSK 2 |
| 体育 | tǐyù | sports; physical education | HSK 2 |
| 体育馆 | tǐyùguǎn | gym; gymnasium | HSK 2 |
| 体育场 | tǐyùchǎng | stadium | HSK 2 |
| 培育 | péiyù | to train; to breed | HSK 4 |
| 教育部 | jiàoyùbù | Ministry of Education | HSK 6 |
| 生育 | shēngyù | to give birth to; to bear; fertility | HSK 7-9 |
| 发育 | fāyù | to develop; to mature | HSK 7-9 |
| 孕育 | yùnyù | to be pregnant; to produce offspring | HSK 7-9 |
| 哺育 | bǔyù | to feed; (fig.) to nurture; to foster | HSK 7-9 |
| 养育 | yǎngyù | to rear; to bring up | |
| 高等教育 | gāoděngjiàoyù | higher education | |
| 保育 | bǎoyù | to look after (children); childcare; to protect (wildlife, cultural heritage etc); conserv | |
| 不育 | bùyù | to be infertile; to have no offspring |
育 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 育
Learning 育 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 育
How many strokes are in 育?
育 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 育 mean?
育 (yù) means to produce, to give birth to; to educate. A common word with it is 教育 (jiàoyù), meaning "to educate; to teach".
How do you pronounce 育?
育 is pronounced yù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 育?
The radical of 育 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 育 under this radical.
Is 育 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 育 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Why does 体育 mean sports if 育 means to raise?
体 (tǐ) means body, so 体育 literally means raising or training the body. That is why it covers both sports and physical education class.
What is the difference between 生育 and 发育?
生育 (shēngyù) is about having children, as in giving birth or fertility. 发育 (fāyù) is about a body or living thing growing and maturing, such as a teenager developing.