魚 meaning and stroke order
Fish
How to write 魚, stroke by stroke
11 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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- 11
Meaning of 魚
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- fish (CL:條|条[tiao2],尾[wei3])
- used in the names of various aquatic animals that are not fish (including abalone 鮑魚|鲍鱼[bao4 yu2], alligators and crocodiles 鱷魚|鳄鱼[e4 yu2] and octopi 章魚|章鱼[zhang1 yu2])
How 魚 is built
Pictographic character. A fish swimming upwards.
How to remember 魚
魚 is a picture of a fish swimming upwards: ⺈ on top is the head, 田 in the middle is the scaly body, and the four dots 灬 at the bottom are the tail fins. Picture a fish leaping up out of the water head first.
魚 (yú) is the traditional form. Mainland China writes it 鱼, and it is counted with 条 (tiáo). It also appears in names of sea animals that are not fish at all, like 鲸鱼 (jīngyú) whale and 章鱼 (zhāngyú) octopus. Example: 我喜欢吃鱼。(Wǒ xǐhuan chī yú.) I like eating fish.
Common mistake: The four dots at the bottom of 魚 look like 灬, the fire component in 熱 and 照, but here they stand for the tail, so the character has nothing to do with fire. Learners also mix up yú (fish, second tone) with 雨 yǔ (rain, third tone) and 鱼 with 渔 yú (fishing), which adds the water radical 氵.
Common words with 魚
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鯊魚 | shāyú | shark | HSK 7-9 |
| 釣魚 | diàoyú | to fish (with line and hook); to angle; (fig.) to entrap | HSK 7-9 |
| 鱷魚 | èyú | alligator; crocodile (CL:條|条[tiao2]) | HSK 7-9 |
| 鯨魚 | jīngyú | whale | |
| 魚雷 | yúléi | torpedo | |
| 章魚 | zhāngyú | octopus | |
| 魷魚 | yóuyú | squid | |
| 捕魚 | bǔyú | to catch fish; to fish | |
| 金槍魚 | jīnqiāngyú | tuna | |
| 美人魚 | měirényú | mermaid | |
| 鮭魚 | guīyú | salmon; trout | |
| 金魚 | jīnyú | goldfish | |
| 炒魷魚 | chǎoyóuyú | (coll.) to fire sb; to sack sb | |
| 魚類 | yúlèi | fishes |
Characters that contain 魚
Learning 魚 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 魚
How many strokes are in 魚?
魚 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 魚 mean?
魚 (yú) means fish. A common word with it is 鲨鱼 (shāyú), meaning "shark".
How do you pronounce 魚?
魚 is pronounced yú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the simplified form of 魚?
魚 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 鱼, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why is fish such a common symbol for the Chinese New Year?
鱼 (yú) sounds the same as 余 (yú), meaning surplus. The saying 年年有余 (nián nián yǒu yú) means having more than enough every year, so fish dishes and fish pictures are popular at New Year.
What does 炒鱿鱼 mean besides cooking squid?
炒鱿鱼 (chǎo yóuyú), literally to stir-fry squid, is slang for being fired from a job. The squid curls up when cooked, which reminded people of rolling up your bedding to leave.