How to Write 杌 (wù) — Meaning “Stool; stump”

Picture a wooden stump (木) that has been cut flat and bare (兀), like a low stool you can sit on. Imagine yourself resting on a small 杌 in a garden, connecting the image of a cut stump to the character's form.

Write the left part 木 first with a straight vertical stroke, then add the right part 兀: start with a short horizontal stroke, then a vertical hook that ends slightly lower than the left vertical. Keep the right part narrower than the left to maintain balance.

杌 has 兀 on the right (horizontal stroke plus vertical hook), while 未 and 末 have a horizontal line across the middle of 木. 未 means 'not yet' (top line longer), and 末 means 'end' (bottom line longer). 杌 specifically refers to a stool or stump, not time or order.

杌 is rarely used alone in modern Chinese; it appears in dialect words like 杌子 (small stool) or in classical terms such as 梼杌 (a mythical animal). Learners may encounter it in descriptions of traditional wooden furniture or historical texts.

Common words containing 杌 include: 杌子 (wù zi) — Small stool; 木杌 (mù wù) — wooden stool; 矮杌 (ǎi wù) — Low stool..