How to Write 物 (wù) — Meaning “Object / Thing / Matter”

Imagine an ox (牛) saying 'Wù!' (like 'woo') to get your attention about an important object. This connects the left radical and the right phonetic part 勿 to the meaning 'thing' or 'object'.

Write the left radical 牛 first: left-falling stroke, then horizontal, vertical, and a short horizontal bottom line. Then write the right part 勿: start with a left-falling stroke, then two horizontal strokes, and finally a curved stroke. A common mistake is making the left radical too wide or forgetting the short bottom horizontal in 牛.

物 has the right part 勿 (like a wave with two horizontals), while 牝 has the right part 匕 (a dagger-like shape) and means 'female animal'. 牟 has a top part 厶 (a triangle) above 牛 and is used as a verb meaning 'to seek' or as a surname. The different right or top parts give each character a distinct look and meaning.

物 appears in common HSK 2 words like 动物 (animal), 礼物 (gift), and 购物 (shopping). In Chinese culture, 物 contrasts with 人 (people), so 人物 means 'personage' or 'character'. It is also used in philosophical concepts like 事物 (matter/thing) to discuss objects versus ideas.

Common words containing 物 include: 动物 (dòng wù) — animal (traditional); 礼物 (lǐ wù) — Gift; present; 购物 (gòu wù) — Shopping / To shop.