有 meaning in English
to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional)
Meaning of 有
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to have; there is
- (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional)
How to use 有
有 (yǒu) means both "to have" and "there is", so it covers possession and existence. It also forms many adjectives like 有用 (yǒuyòng, useful) and 有意 (yǒuyì, intentional). Example: 桌子上有一本书。(Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì běn shū.) There is a book on the table.
Think of the top part as a hand reaching out, and the bottom part 月 as a piece of meat. A hand holding meat means you have something.
Common mistake: Learners often negate 有 with 不 and say 不有, but the correct negative is always 没有 (méiyǒu) or just 没 (méi). Also do not confuse the shape with 右 (yòu, right), which has 口 at the bottom instead of 月.
有 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
有 yǒu · to have · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 有.
| 没有 | méiyǒu | haven't; hasn't |
| 还有 | hái yǒu | there still remain(s); there is (or are) still; in addition |
| 有些 | yǒuxiē | some; somewhat; rather; a bit |
| 有时 | yǒushí | sometimes; now and then |
| 有时候 | yǒushíhou | sometimes |
| 有用 | yǒuyòng | useful |
| 有名 | yǒumíng | famous; well-known |
| 有的 | yǒude | (there are) some (who are...); some (exist) |
| 有一些 | yǒuyīxiē | somewhat; rather |
| 所有 | suǒyǒu | all; to have; to possess; to own |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; people |
| 有意思 | yǒu yìsi | interesting; meaningful |
Questions about 有
What does 有 mean?
有 (yǒu) means "to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional)" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 有?
有 is made of 1 character: 有 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 有 an HSK word?
Yes. 有 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say "there is" in Chinese?
Use place + 有 + thing, for example 房间里有人 (fángjiān lǐ yǒu rén), there is someone in the room. Chinese does not need a separate word for "there".
What is the difference between 有 and 是?
有 (yǒu) shows possession or existence, while 是 (shì) links two things as equal, like "to be". 我有老师 means "I have a teacher", but 我是老师 means "I am a teacher".