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How to Write 卧 (wò) — Meaning “to lie down / bedroom”

wò HSK Level 5 8 strokes Radical: 臣

卧 (wò) means "to lie down / bedroom" in Chinese. It has 8 strokes with the radical 臣, and is HSK Level 5.

Rated 3.7/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 31% of HSK Level 5 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 卧室 (wò shì), 卧铺 (wò pù), 仰卧起坐 (yǎng wò qǐ zuò).

Due to its 8 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 卧 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 卧 - wò

Practice Writing 卧 (wò)

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How to Write 卧

The character 卧 (wò) is written with 8 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 臣 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does wò (卧) Mean in Chinese?

卧 means to lie down / bedroom.

As an HSK Level 5 character, 卧 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character卧
Pinyinwò (wo)
Meaningto lie down / bedroom
Strokes8
Radical臣
HSK Level5
Difficulty3.7/5

Origin of 卧

卧 is a compound of 臣 (a kneeling person) and a variation of 人 (person) that depicts a reclining posture, together conveying the idea of lying down. The left component 臣 originally showed a bowed figure, while the right side evolved from a bent human form, visually representing someone at rest.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a minister (臣) lying down and using a divination stick (卜) as a pillow.

Common Words with 卧

卧室 wò shì
bedroom
卧铺 wò pù
sleeping berth; sleeper
仰卧起坐 yǎng wò qǐ zuò
sit-up (exercise)

Example Sentences

我的卧室里有一张床。

wǒ de wò shì lǐ yǒu yī zhāng chuáng

There is a bed in my bedroom.

我买了火车的硬卧铺。

wǒ mǎi le huǒ chē de yìng wò pù

I bought a hard sleeper ticket for the train.

我每天做五十个仰卧起坐。

wǒ měi tiān zuò wǔ shí gè yǎng wò qǐ zuò

I do fifty sit-ups every day.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
卧 (current) wò 8 臣
臣 chén 6 臣
臤 qiān 8 臣
Stroke order practice for 卧 - wò

Practice Writing 卧 (wò)

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Frequently Asked Questions about 卧

卧 is made of the radical 臣 (minister) on the left and 卜 (divination) on the right. The left part 臣 originally showed a kneeling person, which connects to the idea of a person lying down. The right part 卜 adds a phonetic hint, though the exact link is not certain.

More HSK Level 5 Characters

慰wèi岸àn摩mó拔bá拜bài版bǎn扮bàn棒bàng怨yuàn悲bēi辈bèi鼻bí彼bǐ幕mù辑jí宾bīn饼bǐng毒dú玻bō璃lí

Characters with Radical 臣

臣chén臤qiān臧zāng

Other 8-Stroke Characters

㐭lǐn丧sāng/sàng乖guāi乳rǔ乶fǔ事shì些xiē亟jí享xiǎng京jīng