加油(jiā yóu) - come on, keep it up; to refuel in Mandarin

加油 literally means 'add oil/fuel': 加 (jiā, 'to add') plus 油 (yóu, 'oil', with 氵the water radical and 由 yóu as phonetic). It is used both literally for refuelling and as a cheer of encouragement.

Origin

compound

Root

加 (jiā, to add) + 油 (yóu, oil: 氵water + 由 phonetic)