How to Write 味 (wèi) — Meaning “taste / flavor / smell”

Imagine a mouth (口) that has not yet (未) tasted food, so it is eager to experience flavor. The shape of 未 looks like a person with arms out, ready to enjoy a taste. This helps connect the idea of taste to the character's parts.

First write the left radical 口 (three strokes: vertical, horizontal, bottom horizontal), then the right part 未 (five strokes: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, left-falling, right-falling). Common mistakes include making the 口 too big or aligning the 未 strokes unevenly. Keep 口 small and centered, and let 未 extend slightly lower.

味 (taste) uses 未 on the right, while 吁 (shout or sigh) uses 于, and 吂 (mute or silent) uses 亡. The different right components completely change the meaning: 味 is about flavor, 吁 is about sound, and 吂 is about being speechless. Visually, 未 has a double horizontal line, 于 has a single horizontal, and 亡 has a slanted stroke.

味 is very common in daily life, especially in words like 味道 (taste) and 香味 (fragrance). It is also used in 趣味 (interest) to describe something enjoyable. In Chinese food culture, 味 is central—people often discuss balancing flavors, and the idiom 津津有味 means eating with great relish.

Common words containing 味 include: 味道 (wèi dào) — taste / flavor; 香味 (xiāng wèi) — fragrance or aroma; 趣味 (qù wèi) — Interest; delight; taste..