The character 味 — “taste”: how to write it and what it means
taste, smell
The Chinese character 味 is read wèi and means “taste, smell”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 味
味 has 8 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 味, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 味 is made of
On the left, 口 “mouth”; on the right, 未 wèi hints at the sound.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 味
- 味道taste, smellHSK 4
- 口味taste (preference)HSK 5
- 美味delicacy; delicious (lit.)HSK 5
- 意味着mean, signifyHSK 5
- 味觉sense of tasteHSK 6
- 气味smell, odorHSK 6
- 趣味interest, fun; tasteHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 味?
味 has 8 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 味 mean?
味 means “taste, smell”. It appears in 味道 (“taste”), 口味 (“taste”), 美味 (“delicacy”), 意味着 (“mean”).
How do you pronounce 味?
味 is read wèi. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 味 have?
8 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 味 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.
Start for free