Meaning of 误
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- mistake
- error
- to miss
- to harm
- to delay
- to neglect
- mistakenly
How to use 误
误 rarely stands alone in everyday speech. It mostly appears in compounds like 错误 (cuòwù, error), 误会 (wùhuì, misunderstand) and 耽误 (dānwu, delay), or before a verb to mean doing something by mistake. Example: 别误会我的意思。(Bié wùhuì wǒ de yìsi.) Don't misunderstand what I mean.
误 is built from 讠 (speech) and 吴 (wú), which also hints at the sound wù. Picture someone speaking carelessly and getting their words wrong, which leads to a mistake.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 吴 without the 讠 side, or confuse 误 with 娱 (yú, entertain), which shares the 吴 part but uses 女. Also note that 耽误 is usually said dānwu with a neutral tone, not dānwù.
误 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.
误 wù · mistake · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 误.
| 错误 | cuòwù | mistaken; false; wrong; error; mistake |
| 误会 | wùhuì | to misunderstand; to mistake |
| 误解 | wùjiě | to misunderstand; misunderstanding |
| 失误 | shīwù | lapse; mistake |
| 耽误 | dānwu | to delay; to hold up |
| 误导 | wùdǎo | to mislead; to misguide |
| 延误 | yánwù | to postpone (with unfortunate consequences); to take too long (to do sth); to miss (a dead |
| 误差 | wùchā | difference; error |
| 误区 | wùqū | mistaken ideas; misconceptions; the error of one's ways |
| 无误 | wúwù | verified; unmistaken |
| 误入歧途 | wùrùqítú | to take a wrong step in life (idiom); to go astray |
| 误杀 | wùshā | to mistakenly kill; manslaughter |
Questions about 误
What does 误 mean?
误 (wù) means "mistake; error" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 误?
误 is made of 1 character: 误 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 误 an HSK word?
Yes. 误 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 误 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 误 is written 誤.
What is the difference between 误会 and 误解?
Both mean to misunderstand. 误会 is more common in daily conversation, often about people's intentions. 误解 sounds a bit more formal and is often used for misreading ideas, policies or meanings.
How do I say I missed a train or flight using 误?
You can use 误 directly before the noun, as in 误了火车 (wù le huǒchē, missed the train). 误机 (wùjī) means to miss a flight. In casual speech, 没赶上 (méi gǎnshàng) is also very common.