芜 meaning and stroke order
Weeds; overgrowth
How to write 芜, stroke by stroke
7 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 芜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- overgrown with weeds
How 芜 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Weed.
艹 gives the meaning and 无 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 芜
The grass radical 艹 sits on top of 无 (wú), which means "nothing" and also gives the sound. Picture a field where nothing but grass and weeds grows, and you have 芜 (wú), overgrown.
芜 (wú) rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It mostly shows up in fixed words like 荒芜 (huāngwú), used for abandoned land, gardens, or buildings. Example: 这片田地已经荒芜了。 (Zhè piàn tiándì yǐjīng huāngwú le.) This field has become overgrown.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 芜 as 芫 (yuán), which has 元 under the grass radical instead of 无. Check the bottom part. 无 has a stroke that sticks up through the top line, and 元 does not.
Common words with 芜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 荒芜 | huāngwú | left to return to unchecked growth; overgrown |
Questions about 芜
How many strokes are in 芜?
芜 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 芜 mean?
芜 (wú) means weeds; overgrowth. A common word with it is 荒芜 (huāngwú), meaning "left to return to unchecked growth; overgrown".
How do you pronounce 芜?
芜 is pronounced wú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 芜?
The radical of 芜 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 芜 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 芜?
The traditional form of 芜 is 蕪. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 芜 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 芜 the same as the city name Wuhu?
Yes. The city 芜湖 (Wúhú) in Anhui province uses this character. It is one of the most common places you will see 芜 written today.
Does 芜 ever describe something other than plants?
Yes. In 芜杂 (wúzá), meaning messy or disorganized, it describes writing or ideas that are cluttered. The image of overgrowth carries over to things that lack order.