萬 meaning and stroke order
Ten thousand; innumerable
How to write 萬, stroke by stroke
13 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
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- 13
Meaning of 萬
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ten thousand
- a great number
How 萬 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 萬
萬 (wàn) is built from 艹 on top and 禺 below. Picture a field of grass 艹 with a creature 禺 hiding in it, and so many of them that you count ten thousand.
萬 is the traditional form of 万, and it means ten thousand or, by extension, a huge number. It appears in many set phrases like 萬一 (wànyī, just in case) and 千萬 (qiānwàn, by all means). Example: 千萬別忘了。(Qiānwàn bié wàng le.) Whatever you do, don't forget.
Common mistake: Learners often read large numbers wrong because Chinese groups digits by 萬, not by thousand. So 十萬 (shíwàn) is 100,000, not ten thousand, and 一百萬 (yìbǎi wàn) is one million.
Common words with 萬
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 千萬 | qiānwàn | ten million; countless | HSK 3 |
| 萬一 | wànyī | just in case; if by any chance | HSK 4 |
| 成千上萬 | chéngqiān-shàngwàn | (lit.) by the thousands and tens of thousands (idiom); (fig.) untold numbers; innumerable; | HSK 7-9 |
| 萬能 | wànnéng | omnipotent; all-purpose | HSK 7-9 |
| 萬分 | wànfēn | very much; extremely | HSK 7-9 |
| 萬無一失 | wànwú-yīshī | surefire; absolutely safe (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 萬萬 | wànwàn | hundred million; (fig.) enormous quantity; absolutely; certainly (usually followed by a ne | HSK 7-9 |
| 鵬程萬里 | péngchéng-wànlǐ | the fabled roc flies ten thousand miles (idiom); one's future prospects are brilliant | HSK 7-9 |
| 千變萬化 | qiānbiàn-wànhuà | countless changes; constant permutation | HSK 7-9 |
| 千家萬戶 | qiānjiā-wànhù | every family (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 千軍萬馬 | qiānjūn-wànmǎ | magnificent army with thousands of men and horses (idiom); impressive display of manpower; | HSK 7-9 |
| 萬古長青 | wàngǔ-chángqīng | (idiom) enduring through the ages; ever-flourishing | HSK 7-9 |
| 萬歲 | wànsuì | Long live (the king, the revolution etc)!; Your Majesty | |
| 百萬 | bǎiwàn | million |
Characters that contain 萬
Learning 萬 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 萬
How many strokes are in 萬?
萬 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 萬 mean?
萬 (wàn) means ten thousand; innumerable. A common word with it is 千万 (qiānwàn), meaning "ten million; countless".
How do you pronounce 萬?
萬 is pronounced wàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 萬?
The radical of 萬 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 萬 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 萬?
萬 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 万, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 万万 mean before a negative?
Before a negative like 不 or 没, 万万 means absolutely or under no circumstances. For example, 万万不可 (wànwàn bù kě) means you absolutely must not.
How is 万一 used in a sentence?
万一 (wànyī) introduces an unlikely but possible situation, like "just in case" or "what if". For example, 万一下雨怎么办？(Wànyī xià yǔ zěnme bàn?) means What if it rains?