卧 meaning and stroke order
To lie; to crouch
How to write 卧, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 卧
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to lie
- to crouch
How 卧 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 卜 (altered form of 人) laying in bed 臣.
Radical: 臣 (minister), shared by 7 characters on this site.
How to remember 卧
The right side 卜 is an altered form of 人 (person), and the left side 臣 stands for a bed. Picture a person lying down next to the bed, and you have 卧 (wò), to lie down.
卧 is mostly used inside compound words rather than alone, such as 卧室 (wòshì) bedroom, 卧铺 (wòpù) sleeper berth on a train, and 俯卧撑 (fǔwòchēng) push-up. Example: 我的卧室很小。(Wǒ de wòshì hěn xiǎo.) My bedroom is small.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 卜 attached to 臣 incorrectly, or confuse 卧 with 臣 (chén) or 临 (lín), which share a similar left part. Also do not use 卧 for everyday "lie down" in speech; people usually say 躺 (tǎng), as in 躺下 (tǎngxià).
Common words with 卧
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 卧室 | wòshì | bedroom | HSK 5 |
| 卧铺 | wòpù | a bed (on a train); a couchette | HSK 6 |
| 卧底 | wòdǐ | to hide (as an undercover agent); an insider (in a gang of thieves) | |
| 卧槽 | wòcáo | (Internet slang) (substitute for 我肏[wo3 cao4]) fuck; WTF | |
| 卧倒 | wòdǎo | to lie down; to drop to the ground | |
| 卧房 | wòfáng | bedroom | |
| 俯卧撑 | fǔwòchēng | push-up; press-up (exercise) | |
| 卧床 | wòchuáng | to lie in bed; bedridden |
卧 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 卧
How many strokes are in 卧?
卧 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 卧 mean?
卧 (wò) means to lie; to crouch. A common word with it is 卧室 (wòshì), meaning "bedroom".
How do you pronounce 卧?
卧 is pronounced wò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 卧?
The radical of 卧 is 臣, which carries the idea of "minister". Dictionaries list 卧 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 卧?
The traditional form of 卧 is 臥. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 卧 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 卧 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 卧 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 卧 and 躺?
躺 (tǎng) is the everyday spoken word for lying down. 卧 (wò) is more formal or literary and appears mainly in fixed words like 卧室 and 卧床.
Why does 卧槽 appear online so often?
卧槽 (wòcáo) is internet slang that sounds like a vulgar curse, used to express shock, similar to WTF. It is very informal and should be avoided in polite or written settings.