臥 meaning and stroke order
To crouch, to lie down
How to write 臥, stroke by stroke
8 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
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 臥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to lie
- to crouch
How 臥 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 人 laying on a bed 臣.
Radical: 臣 (minister), shared by 7 characters on this site.
How to remember 臥
The etymology hint describes 臥 as a person 人 lying on a bed 臣. Picture the left part 臣 as a bed frame seen from the side, with the little person 人 stretched out next to it, ready to sleep.
臥 (wò) means to lie down, and it is mostly used inside words rather than alone. You will see it in words like 卧室 (wòshì, bedroom), 卧铺 (wòpù, train sleeper berth) and 俯卧撑 (fǔwòchēng, push-up). Example: 我的卧室很小。(Wǒ de wòshì hěn xiǎo.) My bedroom is small.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 臥 with 躺 (tǎng). In everyday speech, "to lie down" is usually 躺 or 躺下, while 臥 mostly appears in set words like 卧室 and 卧床. Also keep the right side as 人, not 卜 or 入, because the simplified form 卧 has 卜 on the right.
Common words with 臥
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 臥室 | wòshì | bedroom | HSK 5 |
| 臥鋪 | wòpù | a bed (on a train); a couchette | HSK 6 |
| 臥底 | wòdǐ | to hide (as an undercover agent); an insider (in a gang of thieves) | |
| 臥槽 | wòcáo | (Internet slang) (substitute for 我肏[wo3 cao4]) fuck; WTF | |
| 臥倒 | wòdǎo | to lie down; to drop to the ground | |
| 臥房 | wòfáng | bedroom | |
| 俯臥撐 | fǔwòchēng | push-up; press-up (exercise) | |
| 臥床 | wòchuáng | to lie in bed; bedridden |
Questions about 臥
How many strokes are in 臥?
臥 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 臥 mean?
臥 (wò) means to crouch, to lie down. A common word with it is 卧室 (wòshì), meaning "bedroom".
How do you pronounce 臥?
臥 is pronounced wò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 臥?
The radical of 臥 is 臣, which carries the idea of "minister". Dictionaries list 臥 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 臥?
臥 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 卧, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why do I see both 臥 and 卧?
They are the same character with the same pronunciation and meaning. 卧 is the form used in mainland China, and 臥 is the form you see in many traditional texts. The common words listed here are usually written with 卧 in simplified Chinese.
Is 卧槽 (wòcáo) a rude word?
Yes. It is internet slang that stands in for a vulgar expression meaning roughly "WTF". It is common online among friends, but avoid it in polite or formal situations.