畏 meaning and stroke order
Fear, dread, awe, reverence
How to write 畏, stroke by stroke
9 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 畏
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to fear
How 畏 is built
Pictographic character. A monster with a scary head 田.
Radical: 田 (field), shared by 46 characters on this site.
How to remember 畏
The top part 田 is a monster's big scary head, as the etymology hint says, and the strokes below form its body. When you see that huge head looming over you, you feel fear, so 畏 (wèi) means to fear or to be in awe.
畏 is mostly used in written or formal Chinese and inside set words like 畏惧 (wèijù, to dread), 敬畏 (jìngwèi, to revere) and 畏缩 (wèisuō, to flinch). In everyday speech people usually say 怕 (pà) or 害怕 (hàipà) instead. Example: 他不畏困难。(Tā bù wèi kùnnan.) He is not afraid of difficulties.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 畏 with 喂 (wèi, hello or to feed), which has the same sound but adds the mouth radical 口 on the left. Also do not mix it up with 胃 (wèi, stomach), which has 田 on top but 月 underneath.
Common words with 畏
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
畏 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 畏
Learning 畏 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 畏
How many strokes are in 畏?
畏 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 畏 mean?
畏 (wèi) means fear, dread, awe, reverence. A common word with it is 畏惧 (wèijù), meaning "to fear; to dread".
How do you pronounce 畏?
畏 is pronounced wèi, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 畏?
The radical of 畏 is 田, which carries the idea of "field". Dictionaries list 畏 under this radical.
Is 畏 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 畏 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 畏 and 怕?
怕 (pà) is the everyday word for being scared and works in casual speech. 畏 is more formal and literary, and it can also carry a sense of awe or respect, as in 敬畏 (jìngwèi).
Can 畏 be used alone as a verb?
Yes, but mainly in formal or set phrases, such as 不畏强敌 (bù wèi qiángdí, not afraid of a strong enemy) or the idiom 后生可畏 (hòushēng kě wèi, the young deserve respect). In normal conversation it almost always appears inside a two-character word.