捂 meaning and stroke order
To enclose; to cover with the hand (one's eyes, nose or ears); to cover up (an affair)
How to write 捂, stroke by stroke
10 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 捂
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to enclose
- to cover with the hand (one's eyes, nose or ears)
- to cover up (an affair)
- contrary
- to contradict
How 捂 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To resist 吾 by hand 扌; 吾 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 捂
The hand radical 扌 sits next to 吾 (wú), which gives the sound. Picture yourself using your hand to cover your mouth or ears, holding something in or keeping something out.
In everyday speech 捂 (wǔ) almost always means covering something with your hand or keeping something covered, often in the word 捂住 (wǔzhù). It can also mean hiding an affair or a problem. Example: 他捂住了耳朵。 (Tā wǔzhù le ěrduo.) He covered his ears.
Common mistake: Learners often say this with the second tone because 吾 is wú, but 捂 is third tone, wǔ. Do not confuse it with 悟 (wù, to realize), which has the heart radical 忄 instead of the hand radical 扌.
Common words with 捂
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 捂住 | wǔzhù | to cover (typically by placing a hand over sb's mouth, nose or ears etc) |
捂 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 捂
How many strokes are in 捂?
捂 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 捂 mean?
捂 (wǔ) means to enclose; to cover with the hand (one's eyes, nose or ears); to cover up (an affair). A common word with it is 捂住 (wǔzhù), meaning "to cover (typically by placing a hand over sb's mouth, nose or ears etc)".
How do you pronounce 捂?
捂 is pronounced wǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 捂?
The radical of 捂 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 捂 under this radical.
Is 捂 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 捂 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 捂 mean to keep warm by covering?
Yes. 捂 also describes keeping something covered so it stays warm or sealed, as in 捂被子 (wǔ bèizi), staying wrapped under a quilt. In some regions people also say 捂汗 (wǔ hàn), meaning to cover up to make yourself sweat.
How do I say to cover up a scandal with 捂?
You can say 捂盖子 (wǔ gàizi), literally to hold the lid down, meaning to hush something up. For example, 公司想把这件事捂住 (Gōngsī xiǎng bǎ zhè jiàn shì wǔzhù) means the company wants to keep this matter covered up.