The character 为 — “for”: how to write it and what it means
for, for the sake of
The Chinese character 为 is read wèi and means “for, for the sake of”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 为
为 has 4 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 为, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 为 is made of
Its second reading is wéi, “be, do”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 为
- 因为becauseHSK 2
- 为什么whyHSK 2
- 认为think, believeHSK 3
- 以为thought (mistakenly)HSK 3
- 为了for the sake of; in order toHSK 3
- 分为be divided intoHSK 4
- 成为becomeHSK 4
- 作为as, in the capacity ofHSK 4
- 称为call (as something)HSK 5
- 视为regard as (lit.)HSK 5
- 行为behavior, conductHSK 5
- 较为relatively, fairly (lit.)HSK 6
- 极为extremely, exceedinglyHSK 6
- 为难make things hard; feel awkwardHSK 6
- 为止until, up to (of a time)HSK 6
- 为期for a period of, last (of a term)HSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 为?
为 has 4 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 为 mean?
为 means “for, for the sake of”. It appears in 因为 (“because”), 为什么 (“why”), 认为 (“think”), 以为 (“thought”).
How do you pronounce 为?
为 is read wèi. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 为 have?
4 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 为 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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