吁 (yù) is a Chinese character meaning “to appeal for”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 于 (at; in; to), side by side, and takes 6 strokes. It has a second reading, xū, which turns up in 长吁短叹 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to appeal for”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 于
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 吁，驚也。从口于聲
Memory aid
A mouth (口) aims its voice toward (于) the whole crowd — one person calling out, appealing to everyone.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 呼吁hū yùto appeal; to call on吁 = yù
Go deeper
All readings
to appeal for
to appeal for; to call on (others to act)
向大家公开请求支援或帮助。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 呼吁hū yùto appeal; to call on吁 = yù
to sigh
to sigh; to breathe out heavily
叹气；长长地呼出一口气。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 长吁短叹cháng xū duǎn tànto sigh and moan; to heave long and short sighs吁 = xū
Sound component
于 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 吁 mean?
吁 (yù) means to appeal for; to call on (others to act).
How do you pronounce 吁?
Its main reading is yù. It also has a second reading, xū, which only shows up in certain words such as 长吁短叹 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 吁 sometimes pronounced xū?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 长吁短叹 it is read xū.
What parts is 吁 made of?
口 (mouth) and 于 (at; in; to), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 吁，驚也。从口于聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 吁 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 吁?
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 吁?
Common ones are 呼吁. The reading of 吁 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.