How to Write 玮 (wěi) — Meaning “Precious jade; rare”

Imagine a king (王) wearing a special watch (韦 looks like a watch strap) made of very rare jade. The king's "rare jade watch" helps you remember that 玮 means "precious jade" or "rare." Another trick: the right side 韦 sounds like "way" in English, and a rare jade is a special "way" to show value.

First write the radical 王 as three horizontal strokes and one vertical, then add the right side 韦 (four strokes: horizontal, horizontal, vertical, and a final horizontal turning up). A common mistake is writing the left radical too wide or making the right side's vertical stroke too long. Keep both parts balanced — the 王 should be slightly narrower than the 韦.

All three share the jade radical 王, but the right sides differ: 玎 uses 丁 (dīng), meaning "sound of jade," while 玑 uses 几 (jī), meaning "a pearl-like jade." In contrast, 玮 uses 韦 and specifically means "rare, precious jade." Visually, 玮 has more strokes (8 total) than 玎 (6 strokes) and 玑 (7 strokes), and the right side 韦 is unique.

玮 is a classical character not found in HSK lists, so it is rare in daily speech. It appears mainly in literary or poetic contexts, such as describing something as "extraordinary and beautiful" (玮丽) or "extensive and profound" (玮博). It is also sometimes used in personal names to convey elegance and uniqueness, like naming a child 玮博 to wish them broad knowledge.

Common words containing 玮 include: 玮丽 (wěi lì) — Magnificent and beautiful; 玮博 (wěi bó) — Extensive and profound; 玮奇 (wěi qí) — Extraordinary and rare.