The character 无 — “not have”: how to write it and what it means
not have, without
The Chinese character 无 is read wú and means “not have, without”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 无
无 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 无, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 无 is made of
A literary counterpart of 没有. Don't confuse it with 天: in 无 the right leg curls into a hook.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 无
- 无聊boring; be boredHSK 4
- 无法unable to, no way toHSK 4
- 无论no matter, whateverHSK 4
- 无数countlessHSK 5
- 无限boundless, unlimitedHSK 5
- 无效invalidHSK 5
- 无奈it can't be helpedHSK 5
- 无关have nothing to do withHSK 5
- 毫无not have the slightestHSK 6
- 无疑undoubtedly, beyond doubtHSK 6
- 无所谓not matter, indifferentHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 无?
无 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 无 mean?
无 means “not have, without”. It appears in 无聊 (“boring”), 无法 (“unable to”), 无论 (“no matter”), 无数 (“countless”).
How do you pronounce 无?
无 is read wú. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 无 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 无 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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