鼬 meaning and stroke order
Weasel, mustela itatis
How to write 鼬, stroke by stroke
18 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
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
Meaning of 鼬
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (zoology) weasel
How 鼬 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Rat.
鼠 gives the meaning and 由 hints at the sound.
Radical: 鼠 (rat), shared by 9 characters on this site.
How to remember 鼬
鼬 (yòu) puts 鼠 (shǔ, rat) on the left to show a small furry animal, and 由 (yóu) on the right to give the sound. Think of a rat-like creature whose name sounds like 由.
鼬 rarely appears alone in everyday speech. It usually shows up in animal names. The best-known is 臭鼬 (chòuyòu, skunk), literally a smelly weasel. Example: 臭鼬会放出难闻的气味。(Chòuyòu huì fàngchū nánwén de qìwèi.) Skunks release a bad smell.
Common mistake: Learners often read 鼬 with the second tone, like its sound part 由 (yóu), but the correct tone is fourth, yòu. Also check the right side. It is 由, not the similar-looking 田 (tián) or 甲 (jiǎ).
Common words with 鼬
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 臭鼬 | chòuyòu | skunk |
鼬 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 鼬
How many strokes are in 鼬?
鼬 is written with 18 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鼬 mean?
鼬 (yòu) means weasel, mustela itatis. A common word with it is 臭鼬 (chòuyòu), meaning "skunk".
How do you pronounce 鼬?
鼬 is pronounced yòu, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 鼬?
The radical of 鼬 is 鼠, which carries the idea of "rat". Dictionaries list 鼬 under this radical.
What is the everyday word for weasel in Chinese?
People usually say 黄鼠狼 (huángshǔláng), the yellow weasel. The single character 鼬 is used more in zoology and in names like 臭鼬.
Is 鼬 related to the character for ferret?
Yes. A ferret is often called 雪貂 (xuědiāo), but in biology ferrets belong to the weasel family, which is called 鼬科 (yòukē).