務 meaning and stroke order
Affairs, business; should; must
How to write 務, stroke by stroke
11 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
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 務
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- affair
- business
- matter
- to be engaged in
- to attend to
- by all means
How 務 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Affairs.
矛 gives the meaning and 务 hints at the sound.
Radical: 力 (strength), shared by 44 characters on this site.
How to remember 務
On the left is a spear 矛 (máo), and on the right is 务, which gives the sound wù. Picture someone picking up a spear to get a job done: 務 is the work or business you must attend to.
務 (wù) rarely stands alone and usually appears in words about work, duties and services, such as 服務 (fúwù, service) and 任務 (rènwu, task). In written or formal Chinese, 務必 (wùbì) means "must, by all means." Example: 請務必準時到。(Qǐng wùbì zhǔnshí dào.) Please be sure to arrive on time.
Common mistake: Learners mix up 務 (wù) with 物 (wù, thing). They sound the same, but 務 is about tasks and affairs, while 物 is about objects, as in 禮物 (lǐwù, gift). Also note that 霧 (wù, fog) is simply 雨 placed on top of 務.
Common words with 務
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 服務 | fúwù | to serve; service | HSK 2 |
| 任務 | rènwu | mission; assignment; task; duty; role | HSK 3 |
| 服務員 | fúwùyuán | waiter; waitress | HSK 3 |
| 公務員 | gōngwùyuán | civil servant; public servant | HSK 3 |
| 義務 | yìwù | duty; obligation (CL:項|项[xiang4]); volunteer (work etc) | HSK 4 |
| 家務 | jiāwù | household duties; housework | HSK 4 |
| 商務 | shāngwù | commercial affairs; commercial | HSK 4 |
| 業務 | yèwù | business; professional work | HSK 5 |
| 職務 | zhíwù | post; position | HSK 5 |
| 事務所 | shìwùsuǒ | business office; firm | HSK 7-9 |
| 債務 | zhàiwù | debt; liability | HSK 7-9 |
| 事務 | shìwù | (political, economic etc) affairs; work | HSK 7-9 |
| 服務器 | fúwùqì | server (computer) | HSK 7-9 |
| 務必 | wùbì | must; to need to | HSK 7-9 |
Characters that contain 務
Learning 務 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 務
How many strokes are in 務?
務 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 務 mean?
務 (wù) means affairs, business; should; must. A common word with it is 服务 (fúwù), meaning "to serve; service".
How do you pronounce 務?
務 is pronounced wù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 務?
The radical of 務 is 力, which carries the idea of "strength". Dictionaries list 務 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 務?
務 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 务, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 服務 and 業務?
服務 (fúwù) means serving people or a service, like what a waiter or a company provides. 業務 (yèwù) means the professional work or business operations of a company or person, such as 業務範圍 (yèwù fànwéi, scope of business).
Is 任務 pronounced rènwù or rènwu?
In everyday mainland speech it is often said with a light neutral tone, rènwu. Saying rènwù with a full fourth tone is also understood and is common in careful or Taiwanese speech.