How to Write 浴 (yù) — Meaning “to bathe / bath”

Imagine a person sitting in a valley (谷) with water (氵) flowing all around them — they are taking a bath in nature. Another trick: think of "you" (yù) stepping into a bathtub full of water. The valley shape even looks like a bathtub from above!

Write the left radical 氵 first — three dots from top to bottom. Then the right part 谷: start with the top two strokes (dot and slash), then the bottom "person" shape (撇捺) and the mouth (口) last. A common mistake is making the right side too wide; keep 谷 narrow and balanced with the water radical.

浴 means "to bathe" and uses the component 谷 (valley). 沫 (mò) means "foam" or "spittle" and has 末 (end/tip) on the right. 沭 (shù) is a river name in China and uses 术 (skill). Visually, 浴 has a wide top in 谷, while 沫 has a horizontal line at the top of 末.

浴 appears in everyday words like 浴室 (bathroom) and 浴缸 (bathtub). It is also used in formal expressions like 洗浴 (to bathe) or 浴血奋战 (to fight a bloody battle, literally "bathed in blood"). In Chinese culture, bathing is associated with cleansing the body and spirit before important events like the Lunar New Year.

Common words containing 浴 include: 浴室 (yù shì) — bathroom / shower room; 浴缸 (yù gāng) — bathtub; 洗浴 (xǐ yù) — To bathe; a bath..