欧 (ōu) is a Chinese character meaning “Europe”. It is written from 区 (area, district) and 欠 (to yawn; to owe; to lack), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “Europe”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
区 + 欠
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：歐，吐也。从欠，區聲（简化字 欧 = 区 + 欠）
Memory aid
A whole district (区) of travellers yawning (欠) through the long flight — that is how far away 欧 Europe feels.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 欧洲Ōu zhōuEurope欧 = ōu
- 欧元ōu yuáneuro (currency)欧 = ōu
Go deeper
All readings
Europe
Europe; European (used in names and loanwords)
指欧洲；也用于译名中。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 欧洲Ōu zhōuEurope欧 = ōu
- 欧元ōu yuáneuro (currency)欧 = ōu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 欧 mean?
欧 (ōu) means Europe; European (used in names and loanwords).
How do you pronounce 欧?
It is pronounced ōu.
What parts is 欧 made of?
区 (area, district) and 欠 (to yawn; to owe; to lack), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：歐，吐也。从欠，區聲（简化字 欧 = 区 + 欠）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 欧 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 欧?
欠. 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 欧?
Common ones are 欧洲 and 欧元. The reading of 欧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.