How to Write 喻 (yù) — Meaning “metaphor, to explain”

Imagine a mouth (口) saying 'you' (sounds like 俞) to give a metaphor: 'I'm telling you a metaphor.' Another trick is to see the right side 俞 as a person (亻) standing by a moon (月) with a knife (刂), and think of a poet using sharp words to create a vivid comparison.

Write the left 口 small and positioned in the upper-left area. The right side 俞 has three parts: a person (亻) at top, a moon/meat (月) in the middle, and a knife (刂) at bottom—keep these balanced and not too wide. A common mistake is making the left 口 too big or misaligning the right side, so practice the 12 strokes carefully.

喻 has a single 口 on the left and the complex component 俞, meaning 'metaphor' or 'to explain.' 㕡 is a rare character with a different structure and means 'to shout' or 'to ask' (archaic). 哥 is made of two 可 stacked and means 'older brother,' focusing on family, not speech or comparison.

喻 appears in common words like 比喻 (bǐ yù, metaphor/analogy) and 家喻户晓 (jiā yù hù xiǎo, known to every household). It is used in formal writing, literature, and idiomatic expressions to describe comparisons or widely known facts, often carrying a classical or rhetorical tone.

Common words containing 喻 include: 比喻 (bǐ yù) — Metaphor / Analogy; 喻为 (yù wèi) — to liken to; 家喻户晓 (jiā yù hù xiǎo) — Known to every household.