How to Write 屋 (wū) — Meaning “house; room”

Imagine a house (尸) with a table (至) inside — the top looks like a roof and the bottom like a table on the floor. This mental picture helps you recall that 屋 means a room or house where you place furniture.

The top part 尸 should be wide enough to cover the bottom part 至, so write the horizontal strokes of 尸 longer. The stroke order is 尸 first (three strokes: horizontal bend, horizontal, downward left) then 至 (six strokes: horizontal, diagonal fold, dot, vertical, horizontal, vertical bend). A common mistake is making the 尸 too narrow, which makes the character unbalanced.

All three share the radical 尸, but the bottom parts differ: 屋 has 至 (to arrive), 尾 has 毛 (hair), and 尿 has 水 (water). Visually, 屋's bottom looks like a cross shape, 尾's bottom has a hairy tail, and 尿's bottom has water drops. Meanings are completely different — house vs. tail vs. urine.

屋 is commonly used in words like 房屋 (house) and 屋子 (room). In Chinese culture, 屋 often appears in the names of small shops or studios, such as 书屋 (bookstore) and 茶屋 (teahouse), giving a cozy, traditional feel. It is less formal than 房 and often refers to individual rooms or small houses.

Common words containing 屋 include: 房屋 (fáng wū) — house; 屋子 (wū zi) — room; house; 书屋 (shū wū) — Bookstore or study room.