How to Write 邬 (wū) — Meaning “Wu (a surname)”

Imagine a black crow (乌) sitting on the left side of a city wall (阝). The crow is at the city gate, and the city is named after it. This links the shape of 乌 and the radical 阝 to the surname Wu.

Write the left radical 阝 first: a diagonal stroke downward left, then a vertical stroke upward, and a hook. Then write 乌: a short left-falling stroke, a horizontal stroke, a hook, and two horizontal strokes. A common mistake is making the right part 乌 too wide; keep it slim to balance with the left.

邬 uses the phonetic 乌 (crow), while 邓 uses 又 (again) and 邗 uses 干 (dry). Visually, 邬 has a crow-like top on the right, 邓 has a cross shape on the right, and 邗 has a simple T shape. They are all surnames but derive from different place names.

邬 is exclusively a Chinese surname, not common in everyday vocabulary. You might see it in names like 邬先生 (Mr. Wu) or in historical texts referencing the Wu family. It is not part of HSK vocabulary, so learners only need to recognize it when encountering people with that surname.

Common words containing 邬 include: 邬先生 (wū xiān shēng) — Mr. Wu; 姓邬 (xìng wū) — Surname Wu; 邬家 (wū jiā) — The Wu family.