How to Write 忘 (wàng) — Meaning “To forget”

Imagine that your heart (心) has 'died' (亡) — when your heart is gone, you forget everything. You can also think of the pinyin 'wàng' sounding like 'wrong,' because forgetting is often a mistake.

Write the top part 亡 first: dot, horizontal stroke, then a vertical hook. Then write the bottom 心: left dot, middle hook (curving to the right), left dot, right dot. A common mistake is making the top too large or the heart's dots uneven.

忘 has the top component 亡 (a dot, horizontal, and a vertical bend), while 忌 has the top component 己 (meaning 'self') with a different shape. 必 is completely different — it is a single character that looks like a heart with a slash through it, and it means 'must'.

忘 is very common in everyday language, such as in 忘记 (wàngjì, 'to forget') and 难忘 (nán wàng, 'unforgettable'). Culturally, being forgetful is sometimes seen as careless, but 难忘 is a positive word often used for beautiful memories or important events.

Common words containing 忘 include: 忘记 (wàng jì) — To forget; 忘掉 (wàng diào) — To forget / to drop; 难忘 (nán wàng) — unforgettable; memorable.