欲 (yù) is a Chinese character meaning “desire”. It is written from 谷 (valley) and 欠 (to yawn; to owe; to lack), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “desire”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
谷 + 欠
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：欲，贪欲也。从欠谷声。现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰谷欠；笔画核验 谷7 + 欠4 = 11）
Memory aid
谷 is a valley and 欠 is a person with a wide-open, yawning mouth. A mouth gaping as wide as a valley, wanting to swallow everything — that is 欲, desire.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 欲望yù wàngdesire; longing欲 = yù
- 食欲shí yùappetite欲 = yù
Go deeper
All readings
desire
desire; longing; to wish for; about to
想得到某种东西或达到某种目的的要求；想要；将要。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 欲望yù wàngdesire; longing欲 = yù
- 食欲shí yùappetite欲 = yù
Sound component
谷 family
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 欲 mean?
欲 (yù) means desire; longing; to wish for; about to.
How do you pronounce 欲?
It is pronounced yù.
What parts is 欲 made of?
谷 (valley) and 欠 (to yawn; to owe; to lack), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：欲，贪欲也。从欠谷声。现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰谷欠；笔画核验 谷7 + 欠4 = 11）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 欲 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 欲?
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 欲?
Common ones are 欲望 and 食欲. The reading of 欲 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.