伍 meaning and stroke order
Five, company of five; troops
How to write 伍, stroke by stroke
6 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
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 伍
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- squad of five soldiers
- to associate with
- five (banker's anti-fraud numeral)
How 伍 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Five 五 people 亻; 五 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 伍
伍 is a person 亻 standing next to five 五. Picture five people lined up together, the old squad of five soldiers, and 五 also tells you the sound wǔ.
Today 伍 mostly appears in words about groups and the army, such as 队伍 (duìwu, team or ranks), 入伍 (rùwǔ, to enlist) and 落伍 (luòwǔ, to be outdated). It is also the anti-fraud way to write five on checks and contracts. Example: 他十八岁就入伍了。(Tā shíbā suì jiù rùwǔ le.) He joined the army at eighteen.
Common mistake: Learners often write plain 五 in words like 队伍 or 落伍, but these words need the person radical 亻. Also note that 伍 in 队伍 is usually read in the neutral tone, duìwu, not duìwǔ.
Common words with 伍
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
伍 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 伍
How many strokes are in 伍?
伍 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 伍 mean?
伍 (wǔ) means five, company of five; troops. A common word with it is 队伍 (duìwu), meaning "troops; army; ranks; contingent; force; staff; team".
How do you pronounce 伍?
伍 is pronounced wǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 伍?
The radical of 伍 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 伍 under this radical.
Is 伍 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 伍 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
When should I write 伍 instead of 五 for the number five?
Use 伍 only on formal financial documents like checks, invoices and receipts, where it prevents someone from altering the number. In everyday writing, prices and dates, just use 五 or the digit 5.
What does 与……为伍 mean?
与某人为伍 (yǔ mǒurén wéiwǔ) means to associate with or keep company with someone. It is often used negatively, as in 不屑与他们为伍 (bú xiè yǔ tāmen wéiwǔ), to disdain being in their company.