有 (yǒu) is a Chinese character meaning “to have”. It is written from 𠂇 (the 'ナ' shape: a horizontal stroke crossed by a falling-left stroke) and 月 (moon; month), one enclosing the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to have”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
𠂇 + 月
Enclosing structure
- 𠂇 the 'ナ' shape: a horizontal stroke crossed by a falling-left stroke unknown
- 月 moon; month · yuè unknown
Structure from: modern-glyph (hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔构成 𠂇，第 3–6 笔构成 月)
Memory aid
Two parts that are really in this character: 𠂇, a hand reaching down from the upper left, and 月 tucked under it. A hand closing over something — you have it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 有人yǒu rénthere is someone; somebody; someone is there有 = yǒu
- 只有zhǐ yǒuonly; there is only; only if有 = yǒuspoken aszhí yǒu
- 卓有成效zhuó yǒu chéng xiàohighly effective; producing remarkable results有 = yǒu
- 拥有yōng yǒuto own; to possess; to have有 = yǒu
- 有名yǒu míngfamous; well-known有 = yǒu
- 没有méi yǒunot have; there is not有 = yǒuHSK 1
- 还有hái yǒuand also; in addition; there is still有 = yǒu
- 唯有wéi yǒuonly; only if; alone有 = yǒu
- 彬彬有礼bīn bīn yǒu lǐrefined and courteous; polite and well-mannered有 = yǒuspoken asbīn bīn yóu lǐ
- 有恃无恐yǒu shì wú kǒngto be fearless because one has backing有 = yǒu
- 有效yǒu xiàoeffective; valid有 = yǒu
- 有条不紊yǒu tiáo bù wěnorderly; methodical; in perfect order有 = yǒu
- 有益yǒu yìbeneficial; useful有 = yǒu
- 有钱yǒu qiánrich; wealthy有 = yǒu
Go deeper
All readings
to have
to have; there is; there are; to exist; to possess
领有；持有。也表示存在。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 有人yǒu rénthere is someone; somebody; someone is there有 = yǒu
- 只有zhǐ yǒuonly; there is only; only if有 = yǒuspoken aszhí yǒu
- 卓有成效zhuó yǒu chéng xiàohighly effective; producing remarkable results有 = yǒu
- 拥有yōng yǒuto own; to possess; to have有 = yǒu
- 有名yǒu míngfamous; well-known有 = yǒu
- 没有méi yǒunot have; there is not有 = yǒuHSK 1
- 还有hái yǒuand also; in addition; there is still有 = yǒu
- 唯有wéi yǒuonly; only if; alone有 = yǒu
- 彬彬有礼bīn bīn yǒu lǐrefined and courteous; polite and well-mannered有 = yǒuspoken asbīn bīn yóu lǐ
- 有恃无恐yǒu shì wú kǒngto be fearless because one has backing有 = yǒu
- 有效yǒu xiàoeffective; valid有 = yǒu
- 有条不紊yǒu tiáo bù wěnorderly; methodical; in perfect order有 = yǒu
- 有益yǒu yìbeneficial; useful有 = yǒu
- 有钱yǒu qiánrich; wealthy有 = yǒu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 有 mean?
有 (yǒu) means to have; there is; there are; to exist; to possess.
How do you pronounce 有?
It is pronounced yǒu.
What parts is 有 made of?
𠂇 (the 'ナ' shape: a horizontal stroke crossed by a falling-left stroke) and 月 (moon; month), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: modern-glyph (hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔构成 𠂇，第 3–6 笔构成 月). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 有 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 有?
月. 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 有?
Common ones are 有人 and 只有. The reading of 有 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.