HanziGuru.幼 · yòu
幼
yòu[you4]Tone 4

young

HSK 4
Guru Deep Dive

English · young

Cached lesson
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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:5
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (Yāo 幺) is compact and narrow, while the right side (Lì 力) extends gracefully to balance the overall width.
1. Meaning

young

childhoodimmatureinfantile
Adjective / NounNeutral#age#stage of life#family
Sample Usage
  • 幼儿
    yòu ér
    infant, toddler
  • 尊老爱幼
    zūn lǎo ài yòu
    respect the elderly and love the young
2. Sound
/[joʊ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51
幼
yòuyou4
++
`(51)
=yòu
Initial Consonant
y
Type: Palatal Glide (Zero Initial)
Sounds like: y semi-vowel sound
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Acts as a bridge into 'i' or 'ü' vowel sounds.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue starts high near the hard palate and drops slightly.
Final Rhyme
ou
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ou rhymes with oh
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oh'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply, exactly like shouting 'NO!' in English.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the rising tone (yǒu) with the falling tone (yòu).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp karate chop downward, representing Tone 4 (sharp falling 51).
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 5 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (Yāo 幺) is compact and narrow, while the right side (Lì 力) extends gracefully to balance the overall width.

4. Components

Radical 幺 · Tiny / Little Radical (small, tiny)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 力 (strength or force)

A tiny (幺) little bit of strength (力)—describing someone who is still young and growing.

  • 幺 tiny / small
  • 力 power / strength
5. History
Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)

Origin: Originally depicted a small child combined with strength or a thread symbol indicating immaturity and small size.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from meaning a tiny child or baby to generally describing anything young, immature, or in early stages.

  • Frequently paired with words meaning 'old' (老) to represent the generational spectrum of society.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ヨウ / Kun: おさない
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
幼
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

A **tiny** (幺) person with very little **strength** (力) can only be a **young** child!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
幻
huànillusion / magicUses the tiny component with a folding stroke instead of force.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
幻(huàn)
幼 has the 'strength' (力) component on the right, while 幻 has a hook stroke representing illusion.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我们要尊老爱[___]。
Clue: yòu
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the right-hand component 力 (lì) with 刀 (dāo) or similar blade radicals.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 幼 mean and how is it pronounced in 4th tone?
Production: How do you write the character for 'young' (yòu) using the 'tiny' and 'strength' components?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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