Writing
有 (yǒu) — how to say "to have" in Chinese
有
To have
verb
How to use it
How do you say you don't have something in Chinese?
After 有, name what you have: 有朋友 means to have friends. To say you do not have something, Chinese uses 没有, not 不有: 我没有钱 means I don't have money. This 没有 expresses not having, and 没 alone is a common shorter form.
有朋友
yǒu péngyou
to have friends
我没有钱。
wǒ méi yǒu qián 。
I don't have money.
Radicals / Keys
月
Moon
#74 · yuè · 4 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
有钱
yǒu qián
to have money
Examples
我有一个朋友，他在北京工作。
I have a friend, he works in Beijing.
我有
I have.
Mnemonic
[yǒu-] Yoda finds a magical symbol 有 in the middle of a dense forest 🌳 that grants the power "to have" anything. As Yoda ponders over 有, he wishes to have wisdom beyond measure, and a glowing book 📖 appears in his hands, filled with knowledge of the universe.
Frequently asked questions
How to say to have in Mandarin?
"to have" in Chinese is 有 (yǒu).
有 meaning in English
有 (yǒu) means "To have".
How is 有 pronounced?
It is pronounced yǒu (written as you). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "to have" in Chinese characters?
It is written 有 and has 6 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 有?
有 belongs to the HSK 1 vocabulary list.
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Grammar with 有
有 — possession
Subj. + 有 (yǒu) + Obj.
没有 — negation of “have”
没 (méi) + 有 (yǒu) + Noun
个 — measure word for counting
Number + 个 (gè) + Noun
一些 — some
一些 (yìxiē) + Noun
有 — existence with “there is”
Place + 有 (yǒu) + Obj.
几 vs 多少 — how many/how much
几 (jǐ) + Measure Word (+ Noun)? / 多少 (duōshao) (+ Measure Word) + Noun?