味 meaning and stroke order
Taste; smell, odor; delicacy
How to write 味, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 味
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- taste; smell
- (fig.) (bound form) flavor; character; atmosphere
- (TCM) classifier for ingredients of a medicine prescription
How 味 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 未 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 味
味 is pictophonetic: 口 (mouth) on the left shows the meaning, and 未 (wèi) on the right gives the sound. Picture a mouth tasting something it has not (未) tried yet, so it is curious about the taste.
味 rarely stands alone in standard Mandarin. It usually appears in words like 味道 (wèidào) for taste or smell, 气味 (qìwèi) for odor, and 意味着 (yìwèizhe) meaning to signify. Example: 这个菜味道很好。(Zhège cài wèidào hěn hǎo.) This dish tastes very good.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 末 (mò) instead of 未 (wèi). In 未 the lower horizontal stroke is longer than the top one. In 末 the top stroke is longer.
Common words with 味
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 味道 | wèidào | flavor; taste; (fig.) feeling (of ...); sense (of ...); hint (of ...) | HSK 2 |
| 味儿 | wèir | taste | HSK 4 |
| 意味着 | yìwèizhe | to signify; to mean | HSK 5 |
| 美味 | měiwèi | delicious; delicious food | HSK 7-9 |
| 气味 | qìwèi | odor; scent | HSK 7-9 |
| 滋味 | zīwèi | taste; flavor | HSK 7-9 |
| 口味 | kǒuwèi | a person's preferences; tastes (in food) | HSK 7-9 |
| 香味 | xiāngwèi | fragrance; bouquet | HSK 7-9 |
| 风味 | fēngwèi | distinctive flavor; distinctive style | HSK 7-9 |
| 一味 | yīwèi | persistently; stubbornly; blindly | HSK 7-9 |
| 回味 | huíwèi | to call to mind and ponder over; aftertaste | HSK 7-9 |
| 趣味 | qùwèi | fun; interest; delight; taste; liking; preference | HSK 7-9 |
| 卤味 | lǔwèi | food braised in soy sauce and spices | HSK 7-9 |
| 味精 | wèijīng | monosodium glutamate (MSG) | HSK 7-9 |
味 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 味
How many strokes are in 味?
味 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 味 mean?
味 (wèi) means taste; smell, odor; delicacy. A common word with it is 味道 (wèidào), meaning "flavor; taste; (fig.) feeling (of ...); sense (of ...); hint (of ...)".
How do you pronounce 味?
味 is pronounced wèi, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 味?
The radical of 味 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 味 under this radical.
Is 味 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 味 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.
Does 味 mean taste or smell?
It can mean both, depending on context. 香味 (xiāngwèi) is a pleasant smell, while 口味 (kǒuwèi) refers to taste preferences in food. 有味儿 (yǒu wèir) often means something smells bad.
How is 味 used figuratively?
It can describe a feeling or atmosphere, as in 年味 (niánwèi), the festive feeling of Chinese New Year. 滋味 (zīwèi) can also mean how an experience feels, as in 不是滋味 (bú shì zīwèi), to feel upset.