優
優·gentle, kind, excel, superior
- On-yomi
- ユウ
- Kun-yomi
- やさしいすぐれる
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Stroke order
Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.
Common words
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 優しい | やさしい | kind, gentle |
| 優勝 | ゆうしょう | winning the championship |
| 優秀 | ゆうしゅう | excellent, outstanding |
| 女優 | じょゆう | actress |
Example sentences
彼女はとても優しい人です。
かのじょはとてもやさしいひとです。
She is a very kind person.
去年、うちの学校が優勝しました。
きょねん、うちのがっこうがゆうしょうしました。
Our school won the championship last year.
彼は成績が優秀な学生です。
かれはせいせきがゆうしゅうながくせいです。
He is a student with excellent grades.
Similar-looking kanji
Do not confuse these on the exam.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up 優しい (kind) with 易しい (easy) — both read やさしい
- Reading 女優 as じょうゆう instead of じょゆう
Memory aid
Picture it
A person (亻) standing beside someone's sorrow (憂) — that gentleness is what makes them outstanding.
Vocabulary using this kanji
- 俳優はいゆうactor
- 女優じょゆうactress
- 優勝ゆうしょうchampionship
- 優秀ゆうしゅうexcellent, outstanding, superior
- 優れるすぐれるto excel, to surpass, to be superior
- 優しいやさしいkind, gentle
- 優勢ゆうせいsuperior; dominant; having the upper hand
- 優遇ゆうぐうpreferential treatment
- 優越ゆうえつsuperiority; supremacy; predominance
- 優位ゆういpredominance; ascendancy; superiority; the upper hand
- 優やさgentle; graceful; tender (as the stem of 優しい, in compounds such as 優男)
- 優美ゆうびgrace; elegance; refinement
Quick check
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What does the kanji 優 mean?