How to Write 馀 (yú) — Meaning “Remainder / surplus”

Picture a dinner plate with the left side showing a spoon (饣) and the right side showing a tiny 'extra' portion written as 余. Imagine that after eating, you still have some food left over — that leftover is the '馀' (surplus).

Write the left radical 饣 first, with a short horizontal stroke at the top, then a hook, then two strokes for the bottom. The right part 余 starts with a person-like upper part (人) and ends with two small strokes (小); keep the proportion balanced so the right side is slightly wider.

馀 has the right component 余 (surplus), while 飨 (xiǎng) has 乡 (village) on the right and means 'feast' or 'entertain guests'. 饯 (jiàn) has 戋 (small/thin) on the right and means 'farewell feast' or 'send off'. Visually, 馀's right side has a clear 'person above small' shape, while the others differ.

馀 appears in common words like 剩余 (shèng yú, 'surplus, remainder'), 业余 (yè yú, 'amateur or spare time'), and 课余 (kè yú, 'after school or spare time'). It is a slightly formal character often used in writing about leftover amounts or non-professional activities, but in everyday speech the simpler 余 is more common.

Common words containing 馀 include: 剩余 (shèng yú) — surplus; remainder; 课余 (kè yú) — After school; spare time; 业余 (yè yú) — Amateur / Spare time.