哟 (yō) is a Chinese character meaning “oh!”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 约 (to bind; an agreed amount), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “oh!; ouch! (surprise or mild pain)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 约
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph stroke inspection (口 3 strokes + 约 6 strokes = 9)
Memory aid
A mouth (口) lets out the sound it had promised (约) to hold back — yō! Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 哎哟āi yōouch!; oh dear!; oh my!哟 = yō
Go deeper
All readings
oh!; ouch! (surprise or mild pain)
oh!; ouch!; an exclamation of surprise, mild pain or sudden realisation
叹词，表示轻微的惊讶、疼痛或突然发觉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 哎哟āi yōouch!; oh dear!; oh my!哟 = yō
Rare readings, not taught: yo
Sound component
约 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 哟 mean?
哟 (yō) means oh!; ouch!; an exclamation of surprise, mild pain or sudden realisation.
How do you pronounce 哟?
It is pronounced yō.
What parts is 哟 made of?
口 (mouth) and 约 (to bind; an agreed amount), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph stroke inspection (口 3 strokes + 约 6 strokes = 9). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 哟 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 哟?
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 哟?
Common ones are 哎哟. The reading of 哟 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.