How to Write 万 (wàn) — Meaning “ten thousand; myriad”

Picture a large fishhook with a horizontal line on top, like a fishing rod. The hook can catch 'ten thousand' fish, helping you associate the shape with the meaning of a huge number.

Write the top horizontal stroke first, then a left-falling stroke from its center, and finally a curved hook stroke that goes right and then down. A common mistake is making the third stroke too straight or writing it as a separate dot.

万 has a curved hook at the bottom, while 一 is just a single horizontal line. 丁 (dīng) looks like a T-shape with a vertical stroke descending from the horizontal, unlike the hook of 万.

万 is used in numbers like 一万 (ten thousand) and in common phrases such as 万一 (just in case) and 万分 (extremely). Culturally, it appears in greetings like '万事如意' (may everything go well), where it symbolizes 'all' or 'every'.

Common words containing 万 include: 一万 (yī wàn) — ten thousand; 万一 (wàn yī) — just in case; if by any chance; 万分 (wàn fēn) — extremely; very much.