How to Write 袜 (wà) — Meaning “Sock or stocking”

Imagine a sock shaped like the letter 'W' hanging from a clothesline, with the radical 衤 as the clothesline and 末 as the sock's toe pointing down. The 'w' sound in 'wà' can also remind you of the word 'wear' for socks.

When writing 袜, pay attention to the left radical 衤: it has a dot on top and a vertical stroke crossing a left-falling stroke, not two separate dots. Also ensure the right side 末 has a shorter first horizontal stroke and a longer second horizontal stroke to keep the character balanced.

袜 specifically means 'sock' and uses the radical 衤 with 末, while 衩 (chà) means 'slit in a garment' and has a different right side (叉). 衫 (shān) means 'shirt' and uses the radical with 彡. Their meanings are distinct: socks, garment slits, and shirts.

袜 appears most often in the word 袜子 (wà zi), meaning 'socks or stockings,' used daily for clothing items. Culturally, removing socks before entering a home is common in China to keep floors clean, so phrases like 脱袜 (tuō wà, take off socks) are frequently heard.

Common words containing 袜 include: 袜子 (wà zi) — Socks or stockings; 穿袜 (chuān wà) — To put on socks; 棉袜 (mián wà) — cotton socks.