How to Write 油 (yóu) — Meaning “Oil”

Imagine a drop of oil floating on water: the left side 氵 is water, and the right side 由 looks like a little oil bottle with a spout. Or think of 'you' (sounds like 由) pouring oil into water.

Write the left radical 氵 first (three dots from top to bottom), then the right part 由. The right part starts with a vertical stroke, then a horizontal fold, then the inner vertical, and finally the bottom horizontal. A common mistake is making 由 look like 田 by writing the middle horizontal too long or forgetting the inner vertical stroke.

油 (yóu, oil) uses the component 由 on the right, while 汊 (chà, a branch of a river) uses 叉 (fork) and has a different sound and meaning. 㳄 is very rare and means 'saliva' or 'drool'; it looks like 水 with a different right side. None of these characters are used like 油 in daily words.

油 appears in common words like 加油 (jiā yóu, meaning 'cheer on' or 'refuel') and 酱油 (jiàng yóu, soy sauce). The phrase 加油 is especially cultural: it is used to encourage someone, like shouting 'Go!' or 'Keep it up!', literally meaning 'add oil' – a very popular cheer in China.

Common words containing 油 include: 加油 (jiā yóu) — cheer on; refuel; make an extra effort; 酱油 (jiàng yóu) — soy sauce; 奶油 (nǎi yóu) — Cream.