How to Write 巫 (wū) — Meaning “shaman; witch; wizard”

Visualize two wizards (two 人 radicals) standing on a workbench (工, meaning "work"). The image of two sorcerers working together on their magic can help you recall the character for shaman or witch.

Write the top left 人 first (stroke order: left-falling, right-falling), then the top right 人, and finally the bottom 工 (horizontal, vertical, horizontal). A common mistake is making the two 人 too wide or unbalanced—keep them compact above the 工.

巫 has two 人 on top and 工 at bottom, meaning shaman. 左 (zuǒ, left) has one 工 with a left-falling stroke from the top (different component, 左 uses 工 plus a left hand). 巧 (qiǎo, skillful) has 工 on the left and 丂 on the right, with no 人 components.

巫 appears in words like 巫师 (wūshī, wizard/shaman) and 女巫 (nǚwū, witch). It often refers to folk religious practitioners or magic users, sometimes carrying a superstitious or negative connotation in traditional contexts. It is not common in everyday speech but appears in fantasy stories and historical texts.

Common words containing 巫 include: 巫师 (wū shī) — wizard; shaman; sorcerer; 女巫 (nǚ wū) — witch; sorceress; 巫婆 (wū pó) — witch; sorceress.