How to Write 酉 (yǒu) — Meaning “The 10th Earthly Branch / Wine radical”

Picture a wine bottle with a long neck and a wide body: the top horizontal line is the cap, the two inner horizontal lines are labels, and the bottom box is the base. This visual trick helps you recall the shape and its association with alcohol. Imagine the word 'you' (yǒu) sounds like 'yo' as if calling for a drink.

Write the left vertical stroke first, then the top horizontal, then the two inner horizontals, then the bottom horizontal, and finally the right vertical. A common mistake is making the inner horizontals too long or unevenly spaced, which disrupts the balanced jar shape. Keep the bottom box slightly wider than the top to reflect a wine vessel.

酊 (dǐng) is 酉 with a small downward stroke (一撇) inside, meaning tincture or drugged state. 酋 (qiú) adds a horizontal line above 酉, representing a tribal chief or fermented liquor. In contrast, 酉 alone has no extra marks above or inside the box, and its meaning focuses on the time period or wine radical.

酉 is commonly used as the wine radical in characters like 酒 (jiǔ, wine) and 醋 (cù, vinegar), and it denotes the traditional time period from 5 PM to 7 PM (酉时). It also appears in the sexagenary cycle for years, such as 辛酉 (xīn yǒu), and in place names like 酉水 River. Culturally, it connects to ancient Chinese timekeeping and alcohol-related rituals.

Common words containing 酉 include: 酉时 (yǒu shí) — The period of the day from 5 PM to 7 PM; 辛酉 (xīn yǒu) — Xinyou (the 58th year of the sexagenary cycle).; 酉水 (yǒu shuǐ) — Youshui River.