烏 meaning and stroke order
Crow, rook, raven; black, dark
How to write 烏, 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 烏
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- crow
- black
- used in 烏拉|乌拉[wu4 la5]
- used in 烏拉草|乌拉草[wu4 la5 cao3]
How 烏 is built
Pictographic character. A crow; compare 鸟.
Radical: 灬 (fire), shared by 28 characters on this site.
How to remember 烏
烏 (wū) is a picture of a crow, very close to 鳥 (niǎo, bird) but missing the short stroke for the eye. A crow is so black that you cannot see its eye, so 烏 also means black or dark.
Today 烏 (simplified 乌) rarely stands alone and mostly appears in words like 乌鸦 (wūyā, crow), 乌云 (wūyún, dark clouds) and 乌龙 (wūlóng, a silly mix-up). Example: 天上都是乌云。(Tiānshang dōu shì wūyún.) The sky is full of dark clouds.
Common mistake: Learners often write 烏 as 鳥 by adding the eye stroke, or write 乌 as 鸟. Remember that the crow has no eye: 烏 and 乌 lack the dot or stroke that 鳥 and 鸟 have.
Common words with 烏
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 烏雲 | wūyún | black cloud | HSK 6 |
| 烏鴉 | wūyā | crow; raven | |
| 烏龜 | wūguī | tortoise; cuckold | |
| 烏賊 | wūzéi | cuttlefish | |
| 烏拉 | wùla | leather shoe stuffed with Carex meyeriana 烏拉草|乌拉草[wu4 la5 cao3], worn in northeastern Chin | |
| 烏托邦 | wūtuōbāng | (loanword) utopia | |
| 烏龍 | wūlóng | black dragon; unexpected mistake or mishap | |
| 烏合之眾 | wūhézhīzhòng | (idiom) rabble; disorderly band | |
| 化為烏有 | huàwéiwūyǒu | (idiom) to go up in smoke; to vanish | |
| 烏鴉嘴 | wūyāzuǐ | crow's beak; (fig.) person who makes an inauspicious remark |
Characters that contain 烏
Learning 烏 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 烏
How many strokes are in 烏?
烏 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 烏 mean?
烏 (wū) means crow, rook, raven; black, dark. A common word with it is 乌云 (wūyún), meaning "black cloud".
How do you pronounce 烏?
烏 is pronounced wū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 烏?
The radical of 烏 is 灬, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 烏 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 烏?
烏 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 乌, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 乌龙 mean a mistake?
Literally 乌龙 (wūlóng) is a black dragon, but in modern slang it means an embarrassing mix-up or blunder. 乌龙球 (wūlóngqiú) is an own goal in football. It is also the name of oolong tea, 乌龙茶 (wūlóngchá).
Is 乌龟 an insult?
Usually 乌龟 (wūguī) just means tortoise or turtle. Calling a man 乌龟 can be an insult meaning cuckold, so be careful using it about people.