魷 meaning and stroke order
Cuttlefish
How to write 魷, stroke by stroke
15 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 魷
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) squid
How 魷 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fish.
魚 gives the meaning and 尤 hints at the sound.
Radical: 魚 (fish), shared by 63 characters on this site.
How to remember 魷
魷 is a pictophonetic character. The fish part 魚 on the left tells you it is a sea creature, and 尤 (yóu) on the right gives the sound, so think of a fish that says yóu.
魷 is a bound form and almost always appears in the word 魷魚 (yóuyú), squid, written 鱿鱼 in simplified Chinese. It shows up on menus and in the common slang 炒魷魚 (chǎo yóuyú), to fire someone. Example: 老闆把他炒魷魚了。(Lǎobǎn bǎ tā chǎo yóuyú le.) The boss fired him.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the right side as 犬 or 尢 instead of 尤. 尤 has a small dot stroke at the upper right. Also keep the second tone on yóu, not the fourth tone of 又 (yòu).
Common words with 魷
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 魷
How many strokes are in 魷?
魷 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 魷 mean?
魷 (yóu) means cuttlefish. A common word with it is 鱿鱼 (yóuyú), meaning "squid".
How do you pronounce 魷?
魷 is pronounced yóu, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 魷?
The radical of 魷 is 魚, which carries the idea of "fish". Dictionaries list 魷 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 魷?
魷 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 鱿, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 炒魷魚 mean to fire someone?
When squid is stir-fried, the pieces curl up like a rolled bedroll. In the past, a fired worker rolled up his bedding to leave, so the image became slang for being sacked.
Can 魷 be used alone to mean squid?
Not usually. It is a bound form, so you say 魷魚 (yóuyú) for squid rather than 魷 by itself.