How to Write 跃 (yuè) — Meaning “to jump; to leap”

Picture a person (夭) using their foot (足) to jump over a puddle. The right side looks like a figure with arms raised, and the left side is the foot pushing off the ground.

Write the left radical 足 first with 7 strokes, ending with a left-falling and then a right-falling stroke. The right part 夭 has 4 strokes: left-falling, horizontal, left-falling, right-falling. Keep the two halves balanced and the 夭 slightly higher than the 足.

跃 means "to jump" and uses 夭 on the right. 趴 (pā) means "to lie face down" and has 八 (eight) on the right. 趵 (bào) means "to stamp" or "to leap" and has 勺 (spoon) on the right. 跃 is the most common for jumping actions.

跃 appears in common words like 跳跃 (to jump) and 活跃 (active), and in phrases like 飞跃 (a great leap forward) often used for progress. It is also part of the idiom 跃跃欲试, meaning "eager to try something," which reflects an energetic, dynamic spirit in Chinese culture.

Common words containing 跃 include: 跳跃 (tiào yuè) — To leap; to jump.; 飞跃 (fēi yuè) — to leap / a leap forward; 活跃 (huó yuè) — active / dynamic / enliven.