The character 万 — “ten thousand”: how to write it and what it means
ten thousand
The Chinese character 万 is read wàn and means “ten thousand”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 万
万 has 3 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 万, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
Words with 万
- 千万by no means; be sure toHSK 4
- 万一what if; contingencyHSK 5
- 万物all things, everything that existsHSK 6
- 成千上万thousands upon thousands, multitudeHSK 6
- 千家万户every family, all householdsHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 万?
万 has 3 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 万 mean?
万 means “ten thousand”. It appears in 千万 (“by no means”), 万一 (“what if”), 万物 (“all things”), 成千上万 (“thousands upon thousands”).
How do you pronounce 万?
万 is read wàn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 万 have?
3 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 万 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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