越 meaning and stroke order
To exceed; to climb over; to surpass
How to write 越, stroke by stroke
12 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
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Meaning of 越
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to exceed
- to climb over
- to surpass
- the more... the more
How 越 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Run.
走 gives the meaning and 戉 hints at the sound.
Radical: 走 (to walk), shared by 22 characters on this site.
How to remember 越
越 is built from 走 (zǒu, to walk or run), which gives the meaning, and 戉 (yuè, an old word for a battle axe), which gives the sound. Picture someone running with an axe, charging forward and leaping over every obstacle in their way.
越 is most common in the pattern 越来越 (yuè lái yuè, more and more) and in 越 A 越 B (the more A, the more B). It also appears in words about crossing or surpassing, like 超越 (chāoyuè) and 穿越 (chuānyuè). Example: 天气越来越冷。(Tiānqì yuè lái yuè lěng.) The weather is getting colder and colder.
Common mistake: Learners often write 越 with the component 走 squeezed on the left like 赶 (gǎn), but in 越 the long final stroke of 走 stretches under 戉 as well. Also, do not add 很 after 越来越: say 越来越好, not 越来越很好.
Common words with 越
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 越来越 | yuè lái yuè | more and more | HSK 2 |
| 超越 | chāoyuè | to surpass; to exceed; to transcend | HSK 5 |
| 穿越 | chuānyuè | to traverse; to pass through; to cross; time travel (as a genre of fiction) | HSK 7-9 |
| 越过 | yuèguò | to cross over; to transcend | HSK 7-9 |
| 跨越 | kuàyuè | to step across; step over | HSK 7-9 |
| 卓越 | zhuóyuè | outstanding; surpassing | HSK 7-9 |
| 越发 | yuèfā | increasingly; more and more | HSK 7-9 |
| 优越 | yōuyuè | superior; superiority | HSK 7-9 |
| 越狱 | yuèyù | to break out of prison; to jailbreak (an iOS device etc) | |
| 飞越 | fēiyuè | to fly across; to fly over | |
| 越界 | yuèjiè | to cross a border; to overstep a bound | |
| 穿越时空 | chuānyuèshíkōng | to travel through time | |
| 越野车 | yuèyěchē | off-road vehicle | |
| 越野 | yuèyě | to travel cross-country; to go off-road; (attributive) cross-country; off-road |
越 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 越
How many strokes are in 越?
越 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 越 mean?
越 (yuè) means to exceed; to climb over; to surpass. A common word with it is 越来越 (yuè lái yuè), meaning "more and more".
How do you pronounce 越?
越 is pronounced yuè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 越?
The radical of 越 is 走, which carries the idea of "to walk". Dictionaries list 越 under this radical.
Is 越 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 越 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.
How do I use the pattern 越 A 越 B?
Put 越 before two verbs or adjectives to show that one change causes another. For example, 你越说我越糊涂 (nǐ yuè shuō wǒ yuè hútu) means the more you talk, the more confused I get.
What is the difference between 越来越 and 越发?
Both mean increasingly. 越来越 is everyday and very common in speech, while 越发 (yuèfā) sounds more written or literary and cannot be split into an A and B pattern.