欲 yù — desire, want · English

欲

yù

desire, want

At a glance · 欲

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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

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

欲字小篆从欠谷声（繁體慾/欲），为形声字；本义为欲望、想要。甲骨文未见。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

欲本义为欲望、想要、将要。

Structure

形声字，左部『欠』为意符表张口贪羡，右部『谷』为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinyù

Radical欠

Strokes11

UnicodeU+6B32

Character type形声

Theme状态

Six languages, one character

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

English desire, want Yu is a phonetic-semantic character meaning desire and want.

Français désir, vouloir Yu est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant désir et vouloir.

Español deseo, querer Yu es un carácter fonosemántico que significa deseo y querer.

العربية رغبة، يريد يو حرف صوتي دلالي يعني الرغبة والإرادة.

Русский желание, хотеть Юй — фоносемантический знак, означающий желание и хотеть.

Common words

欲望yù wàngdesire
食欲shí yùappetite

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