Hanzi Writer

How to Write 鱿 (yóu) — Meaning “Squid”

yóu 12 strokes Radical: 鱼

鱿 (yóu) means "Squid" in Chinese. It has 12 strokes with the radical 鱼.

Rated 4.2/5 in difficulty (advanced).

Appears in 3+ common words including 鱿鱼 (yóu yú), 鱿鱼圈 (yóu yú quān), 炒鱿鱼 (chǎo yóu yú).

Due to its 12 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 鱿 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 鱿 - yóu

Practice Writing 鱿 (yóu)

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How to Write 鱿

The character 鱿 (yóu) is written with 12 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 鱼 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does yóu (鱿) Mean in Chinese?

鱿 means Squid.

Character Data

Character鱿
Pinyinyóu (you)
MeaningSquid
Strokes12
Radical鱼
Difficulty4.2/5

Origin of 鱿

鱿 is a compound character with 鱼 (fish) as the semantic radical indicating it is a type of seafood, and 尤 (yóu) as the phonetic component suggesting the pronunciation. The character literally means 'squid' and structurally resembles a fish with a distinctive, outstretched form implied by 尤.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a fish (鱼) with a long, curly tentacle (the 尤 part) wriggling out to grab you—that's a squid.

Common Words with 鱿

鱿鱼 yóu yú
Squid
鱿鱼圈 yóu yú quān
Squid rings
炒鱿鱼 chǎo yóu yú
To get fired (slang)

Example Sentences

烤鱿鱼很好吃。

kǎo yóu yú hěn hǎo chī

Grilled squid is delicious.

我点了一份鱿鱼圈。

wǒ diǎn le yī fèn yóu yú quān

I ordered a portion of calamari rings.

他被公司炒鱿鱼了。

tā bèi gōng sī chǎo yóu yú le

He was fired by the company.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
鱿 (current) yóu 12 鱼
鲁 lǔ 12 鱼
鲂 fáng 12 鱼
鲃 bā 12 鱼
Stroke order practice for 鱿 - yóu

Practice Writing 鱿 (yóu)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 鱿 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 鱿

鱿 is a left-right structure. The left side 鱼 (fish radical) shows it is related to sea creatures, while the right side 尤 (yóu) gives the pronunciation. Together, 鱿 means "squid," a type of seafood.

Characters with Radical 鱼

鱼yú鲁lǔ鲂fáng鲃bā鲅bà鲆píng鲇nián鲈lú鲋fù鲍bào

Other 12-Stroke Characters

亵xiè傅fù傈lì傍bàng傕jué傚xiào傣dǎi傥tǎng傧bīn储chǔ