妄 meaning and stroke order
Absurd, foolish, ignorant; rash, reckless, wild
How to write 妄, 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 妄
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- absurd
- fantastic
- presumptuous
- rash
How 妄 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 亡 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 妄
妄 is 亡 (wáng) on top of 女. 亡 gives the sound, close to wàng, and 女 is the meaning part. Picture 亡 meaning "lost": a mind that has lost its way acts rashly and thinks absurd thoughts.
妄 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It appears in words and idioms about wild ideas or reckless behavior, such as 妄想 (wàngxiǎng) and 狂妄 (kuángwàng). Example: 别轻举妄动。(Bié qīngjǔ wàngdòng.) Don't act rashly.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 妄 with 忘 (wàng, to forget). They sound identical, and both have 亡 on top, but 忘 has 心 (heart) below while 妄 has 女 below. Another trap is reading 亡 as wáng here. In 妄 the tone is fourth, wàng.
Common words with 妄
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 妄想 | wàngxiǎng | to attempt vainly; a vain attempt | HSK 7-9 |
| 轻举妄动 | qīngjǔwàngdòng | to act blindly without thinking (idiom) | |
| 妄想症 | wàngxiǎngzhèng | delusional disorder; (fig.) paranoia | |
| 狂妄 | kuángwàng | egotistical; arrogant | |
| 痴心妄想 | chīxīnwàngxiǎng | to be carried away by one's wishful thinking (idiom); to labor under a delusion | |
| 狂妄自大 | kuángwàngzìdà | arrogant and conceited |
妄 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 妄
How many strokes are in 妄?
妄 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 妄 mean?
妄 (wàng) means absurd, foolish, ignorant; rash, reckless, wild. A common word with it is 妄想 (wàngxiǎng), meaning "to attempt vainly; a vain attempt".
How do you pronounce 妄?
妄 is pronounced wàng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 妄?
The radical of 妄 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 妄 under this radical.
Is 妄 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 妄 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 妄想 and 梦想?
梦想 (mèngxiǎng) is a positive dream or aspiration. 妄想 (wàngxiǎng) is a vain or unrealistic hope, often a delusion, so it carries criticism.
Is 狂妄 an insult?
Yes, 狂妄 (kuángwàng) is a strong negative word for someone arrogant and full of themselves. You would use it to criticize, as in 他太狂妄了 (tā tài kuángwàng le), he is far too arrogant.