How to Write 觎 (yú) — Meaning “To desire; to covet”

Imagine a person (俞) who sees (见) a pile of money and covets it. The left part 俞 sounds like "you" in English, so think "You see something and you desire it."

Write the left component 俞 first, then the right radical 见. Keep the left side slightly wider; the right side's top horizontal stroke aligns with the left side's second horizontal. Avoid making the 见 too small or too big.

觎 (yú, to covet) has left component 俞, while 觋 (xí, meaning a male witch) has left 巫 (wizard), and 觌 (dí, meaning to see or meet) has left 賣 (to sell). Visually, the left parts are different: 俞, 巫, and 賣/卖.

觎 is rarely used alone; it appears in words like 觊觎 (jì yú, to covet) and 窥觎 (kuī yú, to covet secretly). These are formal or literary terms, often describing someone wanting power or something that does not belong to them.

Common words containing 觎 include: 觊觎 (jì yú) — To covet; to cast greedy eyes on; 觎望 (yú wàng) — To desire; to covet; 窥觎 (kuī yú) — cast covetous eyes on.