誤 meaning and stroke order
Error, fault, mistake; to delay
How to write 誤, 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 誤
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- mistake
- error
- to miss
- to harm
- to delay
- to neglect
How 誤 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
言 gives the meaning and 吴 hints at the sound.
Radical: 言 (words), shared by 155 characters on this site.
How to remember 誤
誤 combines 言 (speech) with 吴 (wú), which gives the sound. Think of words spoken carelessly: a slip of speech is how many mistakes begin.
誤 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese and usually appears in compounds like 错誤 (cuòwù, mistake), 誤会 (wùhuì, misunderstand), and 耽誤 (dānwu, delay). Example: 你誤会我了。(Nǐ wùhuì wǒ le.) You misunderstood me.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 誤 (wù) with 娛 (yú, entertainment), since both contain 吴 on the right. Remember that 誤 has the speech radical 言 and 娛 has the woman radical 女. Also keep the fourth tone, even though 吴 alone is read wú.
Common words with 誤
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 錯誤 | cuòwù | mistaken; false; wrong; error; mistake | HSK 3 |
| 誤會 | wùhuì | to misunderstand; to mistake | HSK 4 |
| 誤解 | wùjiě | to misunderstand; misunderstanding | HSK 5 |
| 失誤 | shīwù | lapse; mistake | HSK 5 |
| 耽誤 | dānwu | to delay; to hold up | HSK 7-9 |
| 誤導 | wùdǎo | to mislead; to misguide | HSK 7-9 |
| 延誤 | yánwù | to postpone (with unfortunate consequences); to take too long (to do sth); to miss (a dead | HSK 7-9 |
| 誤差 | wùchā | difference; error | HSK 7-9 |
| 誤區 | wùqū | mistaken ideas; misconceptions; the error of one's ways | HSK 7-9 |
| 無誤 | wúwù | verified; unmistaken | |
| 誤入歧途 | wùrùqítú | to take a wrong step in life (idiom); to go astray | |
| 誤殺 | wùshā | to mistakenly kill; manslaughter |
Questions about 誤
How many strokes are in 誤?
誤 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 誤 mean?
誤 (wù) means error, fault, mistake; to delay. A common word with it is 错误 (cuòwù), meaning "mistaken; false; wrong; error; mistake".
How do you pronounce 誤?
誤 is pronounced wù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 誤?
The radical of 誤 is 言, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 誤 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 誤?
誤 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 误, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 错 and 誤?
错 (cuò) is the everyday word for wrong and can stand alone, as in 你错了 (nǐ cuò le). 誤 is more formal and mostly used inside compounds such as 错誤 or 失誤.
Why is 耽誤 pronounced dānwu instead of dānwù?
In 耽誤 the second syllable is often said in the neutral tone in everyday speech, so it sounds like dānwu. In most other words, such as 誤会, 誤 keeps its full fourth tone.