How to Write 吾 (wú) — Meaning “I (literary)”

Q: Can you give a memory trick to remember the character 吾?

Picture the top part 五 as five fingers pointing at yourself and the bottom 口 as your mouth saying 'I'. This reminds you that 吾 is a formal way to say 'I' in old Chinese.

Q: What writing tips are there for 吾?

Write 五 first with correct stroke order: horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal, then add 口 below. Keep 口 centered and not too wide; a common mistake is making 口 too large or off-center.

Q: How is 吾 different from similar characters like 古?

吾 has 五 (five) on top of 口, while 古 has 十 (ten) on top. 古 means 'ancient', whereas 吾 means 'I' (literary). 卟 is rare and not a common alternative.

Q: When is 吾 used in modern Chinese?

吾 is a literary pronoun for 'I' or 'my', used in classical texts, poetry, or respectful phrases like 吾友 (my friend). In everyday speech, people use 我 instead. It adds a historical or formal tone.

Q: What common words use 吾?

Common words containing 吾 include: 吾友 (wú yǒu) — my friend; 吾辈 (wú bèi) — we; our generation; 吾国 (wú guó) — my country; our country.

wú 7 strokes Radical: 口

吾 (wú) means "I (literary)" in Chinese. It has 7 strokes with the radical 口.

Rated 3.5/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Appears in 3+ common words including 吾友 (wú yǒu), 吾辈 (wú bèi), 吾国 (wú guó).

Due to its 7 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 吾 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Practice Writing 吾 (wú)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 吾 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 吾

The character 吾 (wú) is written with 7 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 口 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 wú (吾) Mean in Chinese?

吾 means I (literary).

Character Data

Character	吾
Pinyin	wú (wu)
Meaning	I (literary)
Strokes	7
Radical	口
Difficulty	3.5/5

Origin of 吾

吾 is a compound of 五 (five, phonetic) above 口 (mouth, semantic). Originally it may have depicted a mouth speaking, but it was borrowed to represent the first-person pronoun 'I' due to sound similarity.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture five mouths (五+口) all shouting 'I' at the same time.

Common Words with 吾

吾友 wú yǒu

my friend

吾辈 wú bèi

we; our generation

吾国 wú guó

my country; our country

Example Sentences

他是吾友张三。

tā shì wú yǒu zhāng sān

He is my friend Zhang San.

吾辈应当努力学习。

wú bèi yīng dāng nǔ lì xué xí

Our generation should study hard.

吾国历史悠久。

wú guó lì shǐ yōu jiǔ

Our country has a long history.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Radical
吾 (current)	wú	7	口
卟	bǔ	5	口
古	gǔ	5	口
句	gōu / jù	5	口

Practice Writing 吾 (wú)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 吾 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 吾

What is the structure of 吾 and how do its parts relate to its meaning?

吾 is made of 五 (five) on top and 口 (mouth) below. The top gives the pronunciation wú, while 口 relates to speaking and the self, leading to the literary meaning 'I'.

Can you give a memory trick to remember the character 吾?

What writing tips are there for 吾?

How is 吾 different from similar characters like 古?

When is 吾 used in modern Chinese?

What common words use 吾?

How to Write 吾 (wú) — Meaning “I (literary)”

Practice Writing 吾 (wú)

How to Write 吾

What Does wú (吾) Mean in Chinese?

Character Data

Origin of 吾

Common Words with 吾

Example Sentences

Similar Characters Comparison

Practice Writing 吾 (wú)

Frequently Asked Questions about 吾

Characters with Radical 口

Other 7-Stroke Characters