舞 meaning and stroke order
To dance; to wield; to brandish
How to write 舞, stroke by stroke
14 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 舞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to dance
- to wield
- to brandish
How 舞 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A hand 舛 holding a fan.
Radical: 舛 (mistaken), shared by 3 characters on this site.
How to remember 舞
The top of 舞 looks like 無 (wú), and the bottom is 舛 (chuǎn), which the etymology describes as a hand holding a fan. Picture a dancer on top with two feet stepping below, waving a fan as they move.
舞 rarely stands alone in speech. It usually appears in words like 跳舞 (tiàowǔ, to dance), 舞台 (wǔtái, stage) and 舞会 (wǔhuì, a dance party). Example: 我们周末去跳舞吧。(Wǒmen zhōumò qù tiàowǔ ba.) Let's go dancing this weekend.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 舞 (wǔ) with 无/無 (wú, without) because of the shared top, and the tones differ: 舞 is third tone. Also remember that "to dance" in everyday speech is 跳舞, not just 舞.
Common words with 舞
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 跳舞 | tiàowǔ | to dance | HSK 3 |
| 舞台 | wǔtái | (lit. and fig.) stage; arena | HSK 3 |
| 舞蹈 | wǔdǎo | dance (performance art); dancing | HSK 6 |
| 舞厅 | wǔtīng | dance hall; ballroom | HSK 7-9 |
| 鼓舞 | gǔwǔ | to inspire; to encourage; to hearten; to boost (morale) | HSK 7-9 |
| 歌舞 | gēwǔ | singing and dancing | HSK 7-9 |
| 舞会 | wǔhuì | dance; ball | |
| 舞者 | wǔzhě | dancer | |
| 脱衣舞 | tuōyīwǔ | striptease | |
| 舞伴 | wǔbàn | dancing partner | |
| 舞步 | wǔbù | dance steps | |
| 芭蕾舞 | bālěiwǔ | ballet (loanword) | |
| 挥舞 | huīwǔ | to brandish; to wave sth | |
| 舞池 | wǔchí | dance floor |
舞 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 舞
How many strokes are in 舞?
舞 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 舞 mean?
舞 (wǔ) means to dance; to wield; to brandish. A common word with it is 跳舞 (tiàowǔ), meaning "to dance".
How do you pronounce 舞?
舞 is pronounced wǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 舞?
The radical of 舞 is 舛, which carries the idea of "mistaken". Dictionaries list 舞 under this radical.
Is 舞 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 舞 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What does 鼓舞 mean, and is it about dancing?
鼓舞 (gǔwǔ) means to inspire or boost morale, not literally to drum and dance. For example, 这个消息很鼓舞人。(Zhège xiāoxi hěn gǔwǔ rén.) This news is very encouraging.
How is 舞 used to mean brandish?
In this sense 舞 means waving something around, like a weapon or object. You see it in phrases such as 舞剑 (wǔjiàn, to perform with a sword) and 手舞足蹈 (shǒu wǔ zú dǎo, to dance with joy).