ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
右

right

yòu
5 strokes · 口 — 𠂇 (hand) + 口 (mouth) — the hand that brings food to the mouth · HSK 2

What 右 is made of

𠂇 + 口 = 右
𠂇left hand
口mouth kǒu

Where 右 comes from

右 is a right hand paired with a mouth: the hand most people eat with. Its older form was the ancestor of 又 'again' — the busy right hand that does everything, again and again.

右 in Chinese culture

尊右 'honoring the right' dominated later dynasties: 无出其右 'no one stands to his right' still means 'second to none'. Traffic in China keeps right too — 靠右行驶 is one of the first signs you'll see on the highway.

Example

右边 yòubian — right side

银行在右边。
Yínháng zài yòubian.
The bank is on the right.

How to remember it

The hand 𠂇 that feeds your mouth 口 — for most people, the RIGHT one.

座右铭 'motto' literally means 'inscription to the right of your seat' — ancient scholars carved reminders where the writing hand could always see them.

Same sound, different tones

优
1st yōu
excellent
游
2nd yóu
to swim
有
3rd yǒu
to have
右
4th yòu
right

Words unlocked by 右

右边 yòubian
right side
左右 zuǒyòu
around, roughly

Related characters

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