加油
HSK 4 (exam 2025)HSK 2 (2021)
加油 (jiāyóu) · come on!
加油 (jiāyóu) means “come on!; keep it up!; to refuel”. It is written with 2 characters: 加 (to add) + 油 (oil). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 加油 is built
The characters
加 jiā · to add
What 加 is made of
- 力lì — strength
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
Origin hint: Supporting a cause with the strength 力 of one's words 口 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
油 yóu · oil
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)
Example sentences
加油！你能行！Jiāyóu! Nǐ néng xíng!Come on! You can do it!
车没油了，要去加油。Chē méi yóu le, yào qù jiāyóu.The car is out of gas; we need to fill up.
Questions about 加油
What does 加油 mean?
加油 (jiāyóu) means “come on!; keep it up!; to refuel”.
How do you pronounce 加油?
加油 is pronounced jiāyóu.
Which HSK level is 加油?
加油 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021).
Related words
- 参加cānjiāto take part in
- 更加gèngjiāeven more
- 加工jiāgōngto process
- 加快jiākuàito speed up
- 加强jiāqiángto strengthen
- 增加zēngjiāto increase
- 加班jiābānto work overtime
- 加入jiārùto join
- 加油站jiāyóuzhàngas station
- 加剧jiājùto intensify
Learn 加油 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 22: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.