万 meaning and stroke order
Ten thousand; a great number
How to write 万, stroke by stroke
3 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Meaning of 万
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ten thousand
- a great number
- used in 万俟[Mo4 qi2]
How 万 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 一 (one), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 万
万 starts with a flat line 一 on top, like a long horizon, with strokes sweeping down below it. Picture one line stretching so far it covers ten thousand things.
万 (wàn) is a core counting unit in Chinese, so large numbers are grouped by ten thousands, not thousands. It also appears in many words meaning "extremely" or "by any chance." Example: 万一下雨，我们就不去了。(Wànyī xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù bú qù le.) If by any chance it rains, we won't go.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 万 with 方 (fāng, square or direction), which has a dot on top, or with 力 (lì, strength), which lacks the top line. When reading numbers, many also forget that 一万 is 10,000, so 十万 is 100,000, not 10,000.
Common words with 万
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 千万 | qiānwàn | ten million; countless | HSK 3 |
| 万一 | wànyī | just in case; if by any chance | HSK 4 |
| 成千上万 | chéngqiān-shàngwàn | (lit.) by the thousands and tens of thousands (idiom); (fig.) untold numbers; innumerable; | HSK 7-9 |
| 万能 | wànnéng | omnipotent; all-purpose | HSK 7-9 |
| 万分 | wànfēn | very much; extremely | HSK 7-9 |
| 万无一失 | wànwú-yīshī | surefire; absolutely safe (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 万万 | wànwàn | hundred million; (fig.) enormous quantity; absolutely; certainly (usually followed by a ne | HSK 7-9 |
| 鹏程万里 | péngchéng-wànlǐ | the fabled roc flies ten thousand miles (idiom); one's future prospects are brilliant | HSK 7-9 |
| 千变万化 | qiānbiàn-wànhuà | countless changes; constant permutation | HSK 7-9 |
| 千家万户 | qiānjiā-wànhù | every family (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 千军万马 | qiānjūn-wànmǎ | magnificent army with thousands of men and horses (idiom); impressive display of manpower; | HSK 7-9 |
| 万古长青 | wàngǔ-chángqīng | (idiom) enduring through the ages; ever-flourishing | HSK 7-9 |
| 万岁 | wànsuì | Long live (the king, the revolution etc)!; Your Majesty | |
| 百万 | bǎiwàn | million |
万 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 万
Learning 万 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 万
How many strokes are in 万?
万 is written with 3 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 万 mean?
万 (wàn) means ten thousand; a great number. A common word with it is 千万 (qiānwàn), meaning "ten million; countless".
How do you pronounce 万?
万 is pronounced wàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 万?
The radical of 万 is 一, which carries the idea of "one". Dictionaries list 万 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 万?
The traditional form of 万 is 萬. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 万 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 万 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 万 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
How do I say one million in Chinese using 万?
One million is 一百万 (yìbǎi wàn), literally one hundred ten-thousands. Ten million is 一千万 (yìqiān wàn), and one hundred million has its own unit, 亿 (yì).
Why does 千万 sometimes mean "be sure to" instead of a number?
Besides ten million, 千万 (qiānwàn) is an adverb used in advice or warnings, meaning "by all means" or "whatever you do." For example, 千万别忘了 (qiānwàn bié wàng le) means "be sure not to forget." 万万 (wànwàn) works similarly, usually with a negative.