How to Write 姚 (yáo) — Meaning “Surname Yao”

Think of the famous basketball player Yao Ming — remember his name by picturing a woman (女) standing next to a giant number "one trillion" (兆) because Yao Ming is one in a trillion. The sound "yáo" matches his surname perfectly.

Write the left radical 女 first with three strokes: 撇点, 撇, 横. Then the right side 兆 with six strokes: 撇, 点, 提, 撇, 竖弯钩, 点. A common mistake is making the right side too wide — keep the 女 narrow and balance the 兆 so the left and right parts are roughly equal in height.

姚 has the right component 兆 (six strokes), while 妊 has 壬 (four strokes, meaning "pregnancy") and 妍 has 开 (four strokes, meaning "open"). Visually, 姚 looks boxier due to the extra strokes in 兆, compared to the simpler right sides of 妊 and 妍.

姚 is a common Chinese surname, most famously associated with basketball legend Yao Ming (姚明). It is used in names and rarely appears in other words, so you will mainly encounter it when referring to people with this surname.

Common words containing 姚 include: 姚明 (yáo míng) — Yao Ming; 姓姚 (xìng yáo) — surnamed Yao; 姚姚 (yáo yáo) — Yaoyao (a name).