幼 (yòu) is a Chinese character meaning “young”. It is written from 幺 (tiny; a small coil of silk) and 力 (strength; power), side by side, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “young”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
幺 + 力
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：幺 3 画 + 力 2 画 = 5 画）
Memory aid
A tiny coil of silk (幺) standing next to strength (力). So little thread, so much force still to grow into — 幼 is young.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 幼儿yòu éryoung child; infant幼 = yòu
- 幼儿园yòu ér yuánkindergarten; nursery school幼 = yòu
- 幼苗yòu miáoseedling; young plant幼 = yòu
Go deeper
All readings
young
young; immature; a young child
年纪小；未成熟。也指幼小的孩子。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 幼儿yòu éryoung child; infant幼 = yòu
- 幼儿园yòu ér yuánkindergarten; nursery school幼 = yòu
- 幼苗yòu miáoseedling; young plant幼 = yòu
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 幼 mean?
幼 (yòu) means young; immature; a young child.
How do you pronounce 幼?
It is pronounced yòu.
What parts is 幼 made of?
幺 (tiny; a small coil of silk) and 力 (strength; power), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：幺 3 画 + 力 2 画 = 5 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 幼 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 幼?
幺. 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 幼?
Common ones are 幼儿 and 幼儿园. The reading of 幼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.