Writing Balance Rule: The left water radical (氵) should be compact and slightly curved, leaving ample room for the right component (谷) which provides structure and width.
1. Meaning
bath
to batheto wash oneselfimmersed in
Verb / NounNeutral#hygiene#water#daily activities
Sample Usage
洗浴
xǐ yù
to take a bath / bathing facilities
浴室
yù shì
bathroom
2. Sound
/[y³⁵]/Tone: 35
浴
yùyu4
|
++
`(51)
=yù
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
yu
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "u" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
y
Type: Glide (y)
Sounds like: Glide (y)
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Acts as a bridge into 'i' or 'ü' vowel sounds.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips rounded into a tight 'oo' shape with the tongue raised high and forward near the front of the palate.
Final Rhyme
u
Vowel Group: -v vowel group
Sounds like: French 'u' or German 'ü' sound
Note: Written as 'u', pronounced as rounded 'ü' [y].
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ü'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
5 → 1 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises like a question mark in English (e.g., 'What?'), starting mid-low and climbing to the top.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse it with falling tones or flat high tones; ensure the pitch clearly rises from bottom to top.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand sweep starting from your chest and moving upward and outward.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left water radical (氵) should be compact and slightly curved, leaving ample room for the right component (谷) which provides structure and width.
4. Components
Radical氵 · Water Radical (Water, liquids, rivers)
Semantic Clue (形旁):氵 (Indicates liquid, washing, or water immersion)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):谷 (original sound: gǔ / yù)
Water (氵) plus a valley (谷) combine to represent washing in a natural valley stream or gorge.
氵 Water / liquid
谷 Valley / phonetic clue
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
8· Phonetic Root: 谷 (gǔ)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally depicted water alongside a valley or mouth cavity, symbolizing the act of washing or bathing the body.
Semantic Evolution: Shifted from natural water washings in valleys to general bathing, soaking, and metaphorical immersion (such as basking in grace).
Bathing in ancient China was a ritual of purification before attending important state ceremonies or ancestor worship.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ヨク / Kun: あみ.する
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
욕
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
You stand by the river water (氵) rushing through a deep mountain valley (谷), stripping off your clothes to take a refreshing morning bath (浴).