How to Write 如 (rú) — Meaning “as; like; if”

Imagine a woman (女) saying 'if' or 'like' with her mouth (口). The shape of 如 looks like a woman opening her mouth to express a possibility or comparison, such as 'If I go' or 'like this'.

The left radical 女 should be written narrow with the horizontal stroke crossing at the middle, and the right component 口 should be slightly lower and smaller than the 女. A common mistake is making the 口 too big or not aligning the bottom of 口 with the middle of the left side.

如 has 女 on the left and 口 on the right, meaning 'like' or 'if'. 奴 has 女 on the left and 又 (hand) on the right, meaning 'slave'. 奶 has 女 on the left and 乃 (a phonetic component) on the right, meaning 'milk' or 'breast'. The right-side component is the key visual difference.

如 is commonly used in the word 如果 (rú guǒ) meaning 'if' for conditions, and 比如 (bǐ rú) meaning 'for example' to give examples. In formal or literary contexts, 如 alone can mean 'as' or 'like', as in 如今 (rú jīn) 'nowadays'.

Common words containing 如 include: 如果 (rú guǒ) — if; 比如 (bǐ rú) — For example; 如今 (rú jīn) — nowadays; now.