How to Write 宥 (yòu) — Meaning “To forgive; to pardon.”

Imagine you are under a roof (宀) and you "have" (有) a forgiving heart, so you pardon someone's mistake. Picture a judge under a courtroom roof saying, "I have forgiveness for you." This links the components to the meaning of pardon.

Write the roof 宀 first: dot, left dot, then a horizontal stroke with a slight hook at the end. Then write 有: left-falling stroke, horizontal, vertical, horizontal hook, horizontal, and finally a dot. A common mistake is making the 有 part too narrow or the roof too small, which disrupts the overall balance.

宥 has 宀 above 有 (to have), while 宋 (sòng) has 宀 above 木 (tree) and 完 (wán) has 宀 above 元 (yuan/head). Their meanings are different: 宋 is a surname or dynasty, 完 means "to finish," and 宥 means "to forgive." Visually, the lower components are distinct: 有, 木, and 元.

宥 appears mostly in formal or literary contexts, such as in 宽宥 (kuān yòu, to forgive) or 宥恕 (yòu shù, to pardon). It is not used in everyday conversation but is found in legal documents, religious texts, or historical writings. Culturally, it reflects a traditional value of showing mercy, similar to the concept of clemency.

Common words containing 宥 include: 宽宥 (kuān yòu) — To forgive / To pardon; 宥恕 (yòu shù) — To forgive; to pardon.; 宥免 (yòu miǎn) — To pardon; to remit..