How to Write 疣 (yóu) — Meaning “wart”

Imagine a person who is "sick" (疒) because they have a "unique" (尤) bump on their skin — that bump is a wart. The radical 疒 looks like a bed for a sick person, and 尤 can remind you of "you" — so think "You have a wart, and it makes you sick." This visual link helps connect the character to its meaning.

The radical 疒 is written first with the dot on top, then the horizontal stroke with a left-falling line, followed by the two dots inside. The right part 尤 starts with a horizontal stroke, then a left-falling stroke, and finally the hook and dot. A common mistake is to forget the small dot inside the radical's enclosure, so be careful to include all three dots in 疒.

疔 (dīng) means a deep-rooted boil or furuncle, while 疖 (jiē) refers to a small, superficial boil or furuncle. In contrast, 疣 specifically means a wart, which is a non-cancerous skin growth caused by a virus. Visually, 疔 has 丁 inside, 疖 has 节, and 疣 has 尤; each uses a different phonetic component that also hints at differences in pronunciation and meaning.

Common words containing 疣 include: 疣子 (yóu zi) — wart; 扁平疣 (biǎn píng yóu) — Flat wart.; 寻常疣 (xún cháng yóu) — Common wart..