幼

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young

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Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

One with little 幺 strength 力; 幺 also provides the pronunciation

Components 幺力

young · Heisig RSH #2408

cocoon + muscle

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
幼发拉底河	Yòu fā lā dǐ Hé	Euphrates River
黄花幼女	huáng huā yòu nǚ	maiden; virgin
男女老幼	nán nǚ lǎo yòu	men, women, young and old; everybody
老吾老，以及人之老，幼吾幼，以及人之幼	lǎo wú lǎo , yǐ jí rén zhī lǎo , yòu wú yòu , yǐ jí rén zhī yòu	to honor old people as we do our own aged parents, and care for other's children as one's …
尊老爱幼	zūn lǎo ài yòu	respect the old and cherish the young
幼儿园	yòu ér yuán	kindergarten; nursery school
幼子	yòu zǐ	youngest son; very young son
幼儿	yòu ér	young child; infant; preschooler
幼马	yòu mǎ	young horse; colt; filly
自幼	zì yòu	since childhood; from a young age
幼小	yòu xiǎo	young; immature
幼体	yòu tǐ	the young (unborn or newborn) of an animal; larva
长幼	zhǎng yòu	older and younger; seniority
幼时	yòu shí	childhood
育幼院	yù yòu yuàn	orphanage
年幼	nián yòu	young; underage
幼年	yòu nián	childhood; infancy
幼教	yòu jiào	preschool education (abbr. for 幼兒教育\|幼儿教育[you4 er2 jiao4 yu4])
幼女	yòu nǚ	young girl
幼吾幼，以及人之幼	yòu wú yòu , yǐ jí rén zhī yòu	to care for other's children as one's own

These characters use 幼 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
幼 sound part	yòu	infant, young child; immature
拗	ào	to pull, to drag; perverse, obstinate; bent, warped
窈	yǎo	obscure, secluded; quiet, refined
坳	ào	cavity, depression, hollow; depressed; undulating
呦	yōu	the sound of a deer bleating
黝	yǒu	black