郁 (yù) is a Chinese character meaning “pent-up and gloomy (of feelings)”. It is written from 有 (to have; there is) and 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “gloomy; pent-up”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
有 + 阝
Left–right structure
- 有 to have; there is · yǒu unknown
- 阝 left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑) · fù unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：第 1–6 笔为左部「有」，第 7–8 笔为右部「阝」）
Memory aid
Everything you have (有) is shut inside a walled town (阝) with no way out — that pent-up, gloomy feeling.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 郁闷yù mèngloomy; depressed; down郁 = yù
- 浓郁nóng yùrich; strong (of fragrance, flavour or atmosphere)郁 = yù
Go deeper
All readings
gloomy; dense
pent-up and gloomy (of feelings); dense and rich (of vegetation or fragrance)
①心里憋闷、不舒畅；②草木茂密，香气浓厚。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 郁闷yù mèngloomy; depressed; down郁 = yù
- 浓郁nóng yùrich; strong (of fragrance, flavour or atmosphere)郁 = yù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 郁 mean?
郁 (yù) means pent-up and gloomy (of feelings); dense and rich (of vegetation or fragrance).
How do you pronounce 郁?
It is pronounced yù.
What parts is 郁 made of?
有 (to have; there is) and 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：第 1–6 笔为左部「有」，第 7–8 笔为右部「阝」）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 郁 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 郁?
邑. 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 郁?
Common ones are 郁闷 and 浓郁. The reading of 郁 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.