余 yú — I, surplus · English

余

yú

I, surplus

At a glance · 余

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

余字甲骨文象简陋的茅屋之形或余我之形，本义为第一人称『我』；后借表剩余。金文、小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

余本义为『我』，后多用于剩余、多余。

Structure

余为象形字，描摹房舍或人形，假借为代词与『余下』之义。

At a glance

Pinyinyú

Radical人

Strokes7

UnicodeU+4F59

Character type象形

Theme虚词

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English I, surplus Yu was originally a pictograph meaning I and was later used for surplus and remainder.

Français je, surplus Yu était à l'origine un pictogramme signifiant moi et a ensuite servi pour surplus et reste.

Español yo, sobrante Yu era originalmente un pictograma que significaba yo y luego se usó para sobrante y resto.

العربية أنا، فائض يو كان في الأصل رسماً يعني أنا ثم استُخدم للفائض والباقي.

Русский я, излишек Юй изначально был пиктограммой со значением «я» и позже стал означать излишек и остаток.

Common words

多余duō yúsurplus
其余qí yúthe rest

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