油
油 (yóu) means “oil”. It is made of 氵 + 由 and has 8 strokes, and is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 油 into its parts
What 油 is made of
- 氵 shuǐ — water
- 由 yóu — cause
Origin hint: 氵 gives the meaning, 由 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
油 stroke order
Example sentences
这个菜油太多了。Zhège cài yóu tài duō le.This dish has too much oil.
家里没有油了。Jiā li méiyǒu yóu le.We're out of oil at home.
Words with 油
- 加油jiāyóucome on!
- 石油shíyóuoil
- 加油站jiāyóuzhàngas station
- 汽油qìyóugasoline
- 酱油jiàngyóusoy sauce
- 油炸yóuzháto deep-fry
- 柴油cháiyóudiesel fuel
- 油腻yóunìgreasy
- 油漆yóuqīpaint
Also built with 氵
- 汁zhījuice
- 汇huìto send (money)
- 汉hànHan
- 汗hànsweat
- 江jiāngriver
- 池chípool
- 污wūfilthy
- 汤tāngsoup
- 汰tàito eliminate
- 汹xiōngturbulent
- 汽qìsteam
- 沃wòto water
Quick facts
| Pinyin | yóu |
|---|---|
| Meaning | oil; fat; oily |
| Strokes | 8 |
| Radical | 水 (water, #85) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 4 (exam 2025) · HSK 2 (2021) |
Questions about 油
What does 油 mean?
油 (yóu) means “oil; fat; oily”.
How many strokes does 油 have?
油 has 8 strokes.
What is the radical of 油?
The radical of 油 is 水 (shuǐ, “water”), Kangxi radical number 85.
What parts make up 油?
油 is made of 氵 (water) and 由 (cause).
Which HSK level is 油?
油 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021).
Learn 油 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 57: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.