鱼 meaning and stroke order
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 to write 鱼, 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 鱼
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 鱼 is built
Pictographic character. A fish swimming upwards.
How to remember 鱼
鱼 is a picture of a fish swimming upwards. The ⺈ on top is the head, the 田 in the middle is the scaly body, and the 一 at the bottom is the tail.
鱼 (yú) means fish and also appears in names of sea animals that are not fish, like 章鱼 (zhāngyú) octopus and 鲸鱼 (jīngyú) whale. Count fish with 条 (tiáo). Example: 我买了一条鱼。(Wǒ mǎi le yì tiáo yú.) I bought a fish.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 鱼 (yú, fish) with 渔 (yú, fishing), which has the water radical and appears in words like 渔民 (yúmín) fisherman. Also remember the tone is second tone, rising, not third tone like 雨 (yǔ, rain).
Common words with 鱼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鲨鱼 | shāyú | shark | HSK 7-9 |
| 钓鱼 | diàoyú | to fish (with line and hook); to angle; (fig.) to entrap | HSK 7-9 |
| 鳄鱼 | èyú | alligator; crocodile (CL:條|条[tiao2]) | HSK 7-9 |
| 鲸鱼 | jīngyú | whale | |
| 鱼雷 | yúléi | torpedo | |
| 章鱼 | zhāngyú | octopus | |
| 鱿鱼 | yóuyú | squid | |
| 捕鱼 | bǔyú | to catch fish; to fish | |
| 金枪鱼 | jīnqiāngyú | tuna | |
| 美人鱼 | měirényú | mermaid | |
| 鲑鱼 | guīyú | salmon; trout | |
| 金鱼 | jīnyú | goldfish | |
| 炒鱿鱼 | chǎoyóuyú | (coll.) to fire sb; to sack sb | |
| 鱼类 | yúlèi | fishes |
鱼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 鱼
Learning 鱼 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 鱼
How many strokes are in 鱼?
鱼 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 鱼 mean?
鱼 (yú) means 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]). A common word with it is 鲨鱼 (shāyú), meaning "shark".
How do you pronounce 鱼?
鱼 is pronounced yú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the traditional form of 鱼?
The traditional form of 鱼 is 魚. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 鱼 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 鱼 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 鱼 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 is a whale called 鲸鱼 if it is not a fish?
Chinese uses 鱼 in the names of many aquatic animals, whether or not they are true fish. So whales (鲸鱼), crocodiles (鳄鱼), octopus (章鱼) and squid (鱿鱼) all contain 鱼.
Why do people eat fish at 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 plenty every year, so fish is a lucky dish at the New Year meal.