字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

possess, have, exist, happen, occur, approx

On’yomi ユウ、ウ
Kun’yomi あ.る
Nanori あ、あら、あり、ある、くに、なお、ゆ

Origin

This character appears to be a picture of a hand holding or grasping something. The upper part represents a hand, and the lower part represents an object being held. Because holding something means you possess it, the character came to mean "have" or "possess." Over time it also developed the broader sense of "exist" — if something is held or present, it exists. The simplicity of this image-based origin is why it remains one of the most basic kanji for expressing the idea of having or possessing something.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Pictographic or simple.

有 6 strokes

Components

This character is treated as a single, undivided shape (有).

  • 有 meaning part

Common words

  • 含有 がんゆう containing (an ingredient, mineral, etc.)
  • 共有 きょうゆう joint ownership; co-ownership
  • 固有 こゆう characteristic (of); peculiar (to)
  • 公有 こうゆう public ownership
  • 国有 こくゆう national ownership; state ownership
  • 有る ある to be; to exist
  • 私有 しゆう private ownership
  • 所有 しょゆう possession; ownership

Related kanji

Same radical

Reference

Strokes
6
Kangxi radical
74
Grade
Grade 3 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#282 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 3
Unicode
U+06709