TraceHanzi

预 meaning and stroke order

yù

To prepare, to arrange; in advance

HSK 310 strokesRadical 页Traditional 預
Strokes10
Pinyinyù
ToneTone 4
Frequency#877
Printable worksheetPractice all HSK 3 characters

How to write 预, stroke by stroke

10 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 预

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

yùfourth tone (falling)
  1. to advance
  2. in advance
  3. beforehand
  4. to prepare

How 预 is built

Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Page.

yǔto give+yèpage

页 gives the meaning and 予 hints at the sound.

Radical: 页 (page), shared by 39 characters on this site.

How to remember 预

预 is pictophonetic: 予 (yǔ) on the left gives the sound, and 页 (yè), originally a picture of a head, gives the meaning. Picture your head (页) thinking ahead about what to give (予), and you get "in advance, to prepare."

预 almost always appears in compound words meaning something done beforehand, like 预订 (yùdìng, to book), 预报 (yùbào, forecast) and 预习 (yùxí, to preview a lesson). Example: 我已经预订了房间。(Wǒ yǐjīng yùdìng le fángjiān.) I have already booked a room.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 预 (yù) with 预's phonetic part 予 (yǔ), or with 豫 (yù), which shares the sound and the 予 part. Also keep the fourth tone yù, not the third tone of 予 yǔ.

Common words with 预

Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.

WordPinyinMeaningLevel
预计yùjìto forecast; to predictHSK 3
预防yùfángto prevent; to take precautions againstHSK 3
预报yùbàoforecastHSK 3
预习yùxíto prepare a lessonHSK 3
预测yùcèto forecast; to predictHSK 4
预订yùdìngto place an order; to book aheadHSK 4
预备yùbèito prepare; to make readyHSK 5
预期yùqīto expect; to anticipateHSK 5
干预gānyùto meddle; to interveneHSK 5
预约yùyuēbooking; reservationHSK 6
预言yùyánto predict; prophecyHSK 7-9
预感yùgǎnto have a premonition; premonitionHSK 7-9
预算yùsuànbudgetHSK 7-9
预定yùdìngto arrange in advanceHSK 7-9

预 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ的de预yù感gǎn被bèi证zhèng明míng是shì正zhèng确què的de。
My premonition turned out to be right.
我wǒ花huā了le比bǐ预yù期qī更gèng多duō的de时shí间jiān。
It's taking a little longer than I expected.
这zhè真zhēn的de跟gēn我wǒ所suǒ预yù期qī的de不bù同tóng。
It's really different from what I expected.
天tiān气qì的de预yù报bào是shì很hěn科kē学xué的de。
The weather is forecast scientifically.
26号hào已yǐ经jīng有yǒu预yù约yuē了le。很hěn抱bào歉qiàn。
Number 26 is already reserved, sorry.

Questions about 预

How many strokes are in 预?

预 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 预 mean?

预 (yù) means to prepare, to arrange; in advance. A common word with it is 预计 (yùjì), meaning "to forecast; to predict".

How do you pronounce 预?

预 is pronounced yù, in the fourth tone (falling).

What is the radical of 预?

The radical of 预 is 页, which carries the idea of "page". Dictionaries list 预 under this radical.

What is the traditional form of 预?

The traditional form of 预 is 預. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 预 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.

Is 预 on the HSK exam?

Yes. 预 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.

What is the difference between 预计 and 预期?

预计 (yùjì) means to estimate or project, often with numbers or times, like 预计明天到 (expected to arrive tomorrow). 预期 (yùqī) is about what you hope or anticipate as a result, as in 达到预期 (meet expectations).

Can 预 be used alone as a word?

Not usually in modern Chinese. It works as a prefix-like element in compounds such as 预防, 预备 and 预测, and you will rarely see it standing by itself.

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