How to Write 呦 (yōu) — Meaning “oh! / sound of deer (interjection)”

Picture a young deer (幼) opening its mouth (口) to make a soft 'yōu' sound in the forest. The left side is the mouth and the right side means 'young,' so you can remember 'young deer's call.' This visual links the parts to the meaning of a gentle exclamation.

Write the left radical 口 first as three strokes (a small square), then write the right side 幼 starting with the top component 幺 (two strokes) and finish with the lower 力 (two strokes). Keep the 口 small and centered vertically; a common mistake is making the 口 too large, which unbalances the character. Ensure the 幺 does not touch the 口.

呦 (yōu) is an interjection for surprise or deer sound, while 吁 (xū, yù) means to sigh or express disapproval, often used in '长吁短叹.' 吂 (máng) means 'deaf' or 'dull' and is very rare. Visually, 呦 has 口 plus 幼, 吁 has 口 plus 于, and 吂 has 口 plus 亡. Their meanings are completely unrelated despite sharing the 口 radical.

呦 is used as an interjection expressing surprise, mild complaint, or to get attention, similar to 'Oh!' or 'Hey!' in English. It appears in the common exclamation 哎呦 (āi yōu) meaning 'Ouch!' when you hurt yourself or are suddenly startled. You might also encounter it in literature or poems describing deer calls, but in daily conversation it is less common than other interjections like 啊 or 哦.

Common words containing 呦 include: 呦 (yōu) — oh! / sound of deer (interjection); 哎呦 (āi yōu) — ouch; oh.