雨 yǔ — rain · English

雨

yǔ

rain

At a glance · 雨

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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、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

雨字甲骨文象天垂雨点之形，上横为天，下点象雨滴；金文、小篆承之，隶作『雨』。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

雨本义为雨水，从云下坠之水。

Structure

雨为象形字，描摹自天而降的雨滴。

At a glance

Pinyinyǔ

Radical雨

Strokes8

UnicodeU+96E8

Character type象形

Theme天文

Six languages, one character

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

English rain Yu is a pictograph of rain falling from the sky.

Français pluie Yu est un pictogramme de la pluie tombant du ciel.

Español lluvia Yu es un pictograma de la lluvia cayendo del cielo.

العربية مطر يو رسم تخطيطي للمطر الهابط من السماء.

Русский дождь Юй — пиктограмма дождя, падающего с неба.

Common words

雨水yǔ shuǐrain
下雨xià yǔto rain

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