吳 meaning and stroke order
One of several warring states; surname
How to write 吳, stroke by stroke
7 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
How 吳 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 吳
Picture a mouth 口 (kǒu) on top of a big person 大 (dà) with a tilted head, someone calling out loudly. Link that loud big voice to a big name in history, the state of 吳 (wú).
吳 is mostly used as a surname and as the name of the ancient state of Wu, which is also an old name for the area around Jiangsu and Shanghai. You will see it in words like 吳語 (wúyǔ), the Wu dialects such as Shanghainese. Example: 他姓吳。(Tā xìng Wú.) His surname is Wu.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 吳 with 誤 (wù, mistake), which adds the speech radical 言 on the left and has a fourth tone. In simplified Chinese 吳 is written 吴, so do not be surprised to see both forms for the same surname.
Characters that contain 吳
Learning 吳 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 吳
How many strokes are in 吳?
吳 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 吳 mean?
吳 (wú) means one of several warring states; surname.
How do you pronounce 吳?
吳 is pronounced wú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 吳?
The radical of 吳 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 吳 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 吳?
吳 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 吴, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is the surname 吳 the same as 伍 or 武?
No. 吳, 伍, and 武 are different surnames, even though all are romanized as Wu. 吳 and 伍 differ in tone (wú vs wǔ), and 武 is also wǔ, so ask how the name is written.
Which Wu was 吳 in Chinese history?
吳 refers to the Spring and Autumn period state of Wu and also to Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms. Both were based in the lower Yangtze region.