How to Write 汝 (rǔ) — Meaning “you (literary)”

Imagine a woman (女) standing by the water (氵) pointing at you and saying 'You!' This image connects the two parts to the literary meaning of 'you'. The water helps you recall the pronunciation "rǔ" similar to 'rue' or 'roo'.

Start with the water radical: write dot, dot, lift from left to right. Then write 女: first a left-falling stroke, then a right-falling stroke, and finally a horizontal stroke. A common mistake is making the lift stroke too short or misplacing the woman so it looks unbalanced.

汝 has the woman 女 on the right, while 㳄 has 欠 (meaning 'lack') on the right and is a rare character for saliva. 氿 has 九 (nine) on the right and refers to a spring or small stream. Their meanings and usage are completely different from the literary 'you' of 汝.

汝 is not used in everyday speech; it appears mainly in classical literature, poetry, or historical contexts. You will also find it in place names like 汝州 (Ruzhou) and in the famous porcelain name 汝窑 (Ru ware). Learning it helps read ancient texts but is not needed for daily conversation.

Common words containing 汝 include: 汝等 (rǔ děng) — you all (literary); 汝窑 (rǔ yáo) — Ru ware (Song dynasty porcelain); 汝州 (rǔ zhōu) — Ruzhou (a place in Henan).