How to Write 芜 (wú) — Meaning “Overgrown with weeds”

Picture a field that has no crops (无) and is covered only with grass (艹) — that field is '芜' (overgrown with weeds). Imagine a neglected garden where weeds have taken over to connect the shape to the meaning.

Write the top radical 艹 first with its three strokes, then the bottom part 无. Common mistakes include making the bottom 无 too wide or confusing it with 元 — remember 无 has a left-falling stroke (撇) at the end, not a hook.

芜 means 'overgrown with weeds' and has 无 below, while 兹 (zī) means 'this' or 'now' and has two 幺 (silk) shapes at the bottom. 艻 (lè) is a rare character for a type of grass and is not used in common words like 芜 is.

芜 appears in words like 荒芜 (huāng wú, 'desolate and overgrown') and 芜菁 (wú jīng, 'turnip'). It is also part of the city name 芜湖 (wú hú, Wuhu in Anhui Province). It is a literary character not included in HSK, often describing abandoned or wild land.

Common words containing 芜 include: 芜湖 (wú hú) — Wuhu (a city in Anhui Province); 荒芜 (huāng wú) — Overgrown with weeds; desolate; 芜菁 (wú jīng) — Turnip.