How to Write 懮 (yǒu) — Meaning “sorrowful; grieved”

Imagine a heart (忄) that is covered by a gloomy cloud (the top part of 憂) and weighed down by heavy thoughts (the bottom strokes of 憂). This picture of a heart under a burden of worry helps you remember that 懮 means sorrowful.

The left part 忄 should be narrow and tall, with the vertical stroke slightly curving. The right part 憂 is complex: write the top 亻 (person) first, then the middle 心 (heart) with its three dots, and finally the bottom 夂 (walk slowly). Keep the overall width balanced so the character doesn't look too wide.

懮 (yǒu) specifically means being sorrowful or grieved, often with a poetic or classical feel. 憷 (chù) means afraid or timid, usually in the word 憷頭 (chù tóu, to feel scared). 憾 (hàn) means regret or deep disappointment, as in 遺憾 (yí hàn, regret). Their radicals are all 心/忄 but the right components carry different emotions.

懮 is very rare in everyday speech and is not part of the HSK vocabulary. It appears mostly in classical literature or poetic expressions, such as in the word 懮懮 (yǒu yǒu) meaning deeply distressed. Modern Chinese uses 憂 (yōu) for worry and 愁 (chóu) for sadness instead, so you will almost never need to write 懮 in practical situations.

Common words containing 懮 include: 懮受 (yǒu shòu) — to suffer; to be grieved; 懮戚 (yǒu qī) — sorrow and grief; 懮懮 (yǒu yǒu) — sorrowful; distressed.