How to Write 鼬 (yòu) — Meaning “Weasel”

Picture a weasel holding a giant 'Y' (a letter that looks like 由) while standing on a mouse (鼠). This combines the sound hint (you) and the animal category to help you remember that 鼬 means weasel.

The left radical 鼠 has many strokes: start with a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal line, then several vertical and horizontal strokes for the body and tail. A common mistake is to write the right part 由 too small or to forget the dot inside the top of 鼠; keep both halves balanced.

鼬 means weasel and has the right side 由. 鼢 (fén) means 'mole-rat' and has 分 on the right. 鼩 (qú) means 'shrew' and has 句 on the right. So the right component tells you which animal it is, while all share the left radical 鼠.

鼬 appears in words like 黄鼬 (huáng yòu, 'yellow weasel') and 鼬皮 (yòu pí, 'weasel fur'). In Chinese folklore, weasels are often seen as clever or mysterious animals, and they are sometimes associated with spirits. The character is not common in daily conversation but appears in nature writing.

Common words containing 鼬 include: 黄鼬 (huáng yòu) — yellow-bellied weasel; 鼬鼠 (yòu shǔ) — Weasel; 鼬皮 (yòu pí) — Weasel fur.