Meaning of 无
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- not to have
- no
- none
- not
- to lack
- un-
- -less
- used in 南無|南无[na1 mo2]
How to use 无
无 is more formal and written than 没有 (méiyǒu), and it often works like the English prefix un- or suffix -less inside fixed words such as 无限 (wúxiàn, unlimited) and 无数 (wúshù, countless). Example: 我今天很无聊。(Wǒ jīntiān hěn wúliáo.) I am really bored today.
无 (wú) looks like 天 (tiān, sky) with its last stroke bent into a hook, as if something has slipped away and is no longer there. Think of it as an empty sky with nothing in it: no, none, without.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 无 with 天 (tiān) or 夫 (fū). In 无 the last stroke curves to the right with a hook and does not poke through the top line the way it does in 夫. Another trap is using 无 alone in casual speech, like 我无钱. Say 我没有钱 (wǒ méiyǒu qián) instead.
无 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
无 wú · not to have · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 无.
| 无法 | wúfǎ | unable to; incapable of |
| 无论 | wúlùn | no matter what or how; regardless of whether... |
| 无聊 | wúliáo | bored; boring |
| 无所谓 | wúsuǒwèi | to be indifferent; not to matter |
| 无数 | wúshù | countless; numberless |
| 无限 | wúxiàn | unlimited; unbounded; infinite |
| 无疑 | wúyí | undoubtedly; without doubt |
| 无奈 | wúnài | to have no alternative; frustrated |
| 无关 | wúguān | unrelated; having nothing to do (with sth else) |
| 无效 | wúxiào | not valid; ineffective |
| 无边 | wúbiān | without boundary; not bordered |
| 无辜 | wúgū | blameless; innocent; the innocent |
Questions about 无
What does 无 mean?
无 (wú) means "not to have; no" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 无?
无 is made of 1 character: 无 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 无 an HSK word?
Yes. 无 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 无 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 无 is written 無.
What is the difference between 无 and 没有?
Both mean not to have, but 没有 (méiyǒu) is the everyday spoken choice. 无 sounds formal or literary and appears mostly in fixed words, signs, and written phrases like 无法 (wúfǎ, unable to).
When is 无 pronounced mó instead of wú?
Only in the Buddhist phrase 南无 (nāmó), which is a transliteration of a Sanskrit word meaning homage to, as in 南无阿弥陀佛. In every other word it is read wú.