右 (yòu) is a Chinese character meaning “right”. It is written from 一 (one) and 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “right (side)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
一 + 丿 + 口
Enclosing structure
Structure from: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes
Memory aid
One long line (一) with a stroke sweeping down across it (丿), and a mouth (口) tucked under the corner — the hand you raise and the mouth you call with are both on your right.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 右手yòu shǒuright hand右 = yòu
- 左右zuǒ yòuleft and right; (after a number) about, approximately右 = yòu
- 右边yòu biānthe right side; on the right右 = yòuspoken asyòu bianHSK 1
- 座右铭zuò yòu míngmotto; maxim one lives by右 = yòu
Go deeper
All readings
right (side)
right; the right-hand side; opposite of left
方位词，右边，与「左」相对。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 右手yòu shǒuright hand右 = yòu
- 左右zuǒ yòuleft and right; (after a number) about, approximately右 = yòu
- 右边yòu biānthe right side; on the right右 = yòuspoken asyòu bianHSK 1
- 座右铭zuò yòu míngmotto; maxim one lives by右 = yòu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 右 mean?
右 (yòu) means right; the right-hand side; opposite of left.
How do you pronounce 右?
It is pronounced yòu.
What parts is 右 made of?
一 (one) and 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 右 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 右?
口. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 右?
Common ones are 右手 and 左右. The reading of 右 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.