How to write 游 (yóu, “to swim”)

游 (yóu), an HSK 2 character, means “to swim”. It is a character whose parts combine into its meaning. On its own it is an HSK 2 word; it also forms 旅游 (“trip”), 游泳 (“swimming”) and 游客 (“traveler”). Japanese reads it yuu, “float”.

Pinyin: yóu
Strokes: 12
HSK: 2
Radical: 氵 (“water”)

Stroke by stroke

As a left-right character it splits into 氵 (“water”, the radical), strokes 1–3; 斿 (“scallops along lower edge of flag”), strokes 4–12, written the left part first.

top leftdown and right
top leftdown and right
bottom leftupwards
topdown and right
top leftrightwards
centerdownwards → down and left → up and left
topdown and left
topdown and right → down and left
toprightwards
centerrightwards → down and left
rightdownwards → up and left
centerrightwards

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (12 strokes in Japanese, 12 strokes in Chinese).

Japanese · KanjiVG · 12 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 12 strokes

Where 游 comes from

To swim freely 斿 through the seas 氵

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
yóu second tone	to swim	—	旅游游泳游客游戏

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 2
2021 standard: level 2
HSK 2.0: in a level 2 word
Words with it: 170 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 游

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
游	yóu	to swim; variant of 游 (yóu) HSK 2
旅游旅遊	lǚyóu	trip; journey HSK 2
游泳	yóuyǒng	swimming; to swim HSK 2
游客遊客	yóukè	traveler; tourist HSK 3
游戏遊戲	yóuxì	game; to play HSK 3
游玩遊玩	yóuwán	to amuse oneself; to have fun HSK 4
导游導遊	dǎoyóu	tour guide; guidebook HSK 4
游览遊覽	yóulǎn	to go sightseeing; to tour HSK 5
出游出遊	chūyóu	to go on a tour; to have an outing HSK 6
游人遊人	yóurén	a tourist HSK 6

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.

Keep going

HSK 2, in list order: