勇 (yǒng) is a Chinese character meaning “brave”. It is written from 甬 (walled passage (as in 甬道); a common sound component) and 力 (strength; power), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “brave”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
甬 + 力
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 勇，气也。从力甬声
Memory aid
A narrow walled passage (甬) with strength (力) pushing through beneath it. Both parts are really in this character — remember it as the power to push on down a tight path: brave.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 勇敢yǒng gǎnbrave; courageous勇 = yǒngspoken asyóng gǎn
- 勇气yǒng qìcourage勇 = yǒng
Go deeper
All readings
brave
brave; courageous; bold
有胆量，敢于做危险或困难的事。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 勇敢yǒng gǎnbrave; courageous勇 = yǒngspoken asyóng gǎn
- 勇气yǒng qìcourage勇 = yǒng
Sound component
甬 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 勇 mean?
勇 (yǒng) means brave; courageous; bold.
How do you pronounce 勇?
It is pronounced yǒng.
What parts is 勇 made of?
甬 (walled passage (as in 甬道); a common sound component) and 力 (strength; power), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 勇，气也。从力甬声. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 勇 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 勇?
力. 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 勇?
Common ones are 勇敢 and 勇气. The reading of 勇 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.