How to Write 忧 (yōu) — Meaning “Worry; anxiety”

Imagine a heart (忄) that is especially (尤) heavy with worry — like a heart sinking under a burden. The right side 尤 looks like a person bending over from anxiety.

Write the left radical 忄 first: dot, dot, vertical stroke. Then write the right side 尤: horizontal, left-falling stroke, right-falling stroke, final dot. A common mistake is making the left side too wide — keep it narrow so the character stays balanced.

忧 (yōu) means "worry" and its right side is 尤. 忉 (dāo) is a rare character meaning "grieved" with 刀 (knife) on the right, and is almost never used in modern Chinese. 忏 (chàn) means "confess" or "repent" and has 千 (qiān) on the right — it appears in Buddhist terms like 忏悔 (repent).

忧 appears in formal or serious contexts, such as 担忧 (dān yōu, to worry) and 忧虑 (yōu lǜ, anxiety). The idiom 无忧无虑 (wú yōu wú lǜ) describes a carefree state, often used for children or happy moments.

Common words containing 忧 include: 担忧 (dān yōu) — to worry; to be concerned; 忧虑 (yōu lǜ) — Worry; anxiety; 无忧无虑 (wú yōu wú lǜ) — Carefree and without worries..