未 meaning and stroke order
Not yet; did not; have not
How to write 未, stroke by stroke
5 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
Meaning of 未
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- not yet
- did not
- have not
- not
- 8th earthly branch: 1-3 p.m., 6th solar month (7th July-6th August), year of the Sheep
- ancient Chinese compass point: 210°
How 未 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A wheat plant that has not yet borne fruit; compare 來.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 未
未 is built from 一 and 木 (tree), and the data describes it as a wheat plant that has not yet borne fruit. Picture a young plant with a short extra branch on top: it is still growing, so its harvest is "not yet" here.
未 is a formal or written way to say "not yet" or "have not," much like 没有 in speech, and it appears in many fixed words such as 未来 (wèilái, future) and 尚未 (shàngwèi, not yet). Example: 他从未去过北京。 (Tā cóngwèi qùguo Běijīng.) He has never been to Beijing.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 未 (wèi) with 末 (mò, end). In 未 the top stroke is shorter than the lower one, and in 末 the top stroke is longer. Remember that the end 末 has a long top, while the young plant 未 is still short on top.
Common words with 未
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 未来 | wèilái | future; tomorrow | HSK 4 |
| 未必 | wèibì | not necessarily; maybe not | HSK 4 |
| 从未 | cóngwèi | never | HSK 7-9 |
| 尚未 | shàngwèi | not yet; still not | HSK 7-9 |
| 未经 | wèijīng | not having undergone; without (having gone though a certain process) | HSK 7-9 |
| 前所未有 | qiánsuǒwèiyǒu | (idiom) unprecedented | HSK 7-9 |
| 未成年人 | wèichéngniánrén | minor (i.e. person under 18) | HSK 7-9 |
| 未免 | wèimiǎn | unavoidably; can't help | HSK 7-9 |
| 未知数 | wèizhīshù | unknown number; (fig.) an unknown; an uncertainty | HSK 7-9 |
| 未知 | wèizhī | unknown | |
| 未婚夫 | wèihūnfū | fiancé | |
| 未婚妻 | wèihūnqī | fiancée | |
| 并未 | bìngwèi | (used to stress that sth did not turn out as one might have expected) did not actually ... | |
| 未能 | wèinéng | cannot; to fail to |
未 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 未
Learning 未 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 未
How many strokes are in 未?
未 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 未 mean?
未 (wèi) means not yet; did not; have not. A common word with it is 未来 (wèilái), meaning "future; tomorrow".
How do you pronounce 未?
未 is pronounced wèi, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 未?
The radical of 未 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 未 under this radical.
Is 未 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 未 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 未 and 不?
不 (bù) is a general negation for habits, wishes, or the present and future, while 未 means something has not happened yet. For example, 未完成 (wèi wánchéng) means "not finished yet," not "will not finish."
What does 未 mean in the Chinese zodiac and time system?
未 is the 8th earthly branch. It stands for the hours from 1 to 3 p.m., the 6th solar month, and the year of the Sheep.