乌 Stroke Order — How to Write 乌
乌 is written in 4 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 丿, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
乌 Radical and Character Components
Partial breakdown of 乌:丿
乌 is a pictograph. Simplified form of 烏; a crow; compare 鸟.
Radical: 丿 + 3 more strokes
乌 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- wū
Meanings of 乌 in Chinese
1
wū乌
"Wū" (乌) refers to a crow, commonly used in idioms like "乌合之众" to describe a disorganized, undisciplined mob.
警方很快驱散了这群乌合之众。
The police quickly dispersed the disorganized crowd.
black or dark, often used to describe things like dark clouds (乌云) or glossy black hair (乌亮).
乌云密布，看来快要下雨了。
Dark clouds are gathering, it looks like it's going to rain soon.
When used in phrases like '化为乌有' (huà wéi wū yǒu), it signifies 'nothing' or 'non-existent', meaning to vanish or come to naught.
由于缺乏经验，他所有的计划都化为乌有
Due to lack of experience, all his plans came to nothing.
In classical Chinese, an interrogative particle equivalent to 'how', 'where', or 'what', often used in rhetorical questions to imply something is insignificant or obvious.
此等小事，乌足为奇？
Regarding such a minor matter, what's there to be surprised about?
An exclamation of lament or sigh, similar to 'alas' or 'woe is me.'
乌乎！我竟把钥匙忘在家里了
Alas! I actually forgot my keys at home.
Common Words and Phrases with 乌
1
Black cabbage; a regional term for tatsoi.
冬天的时候，菜园里种满了新鲜的乌白菜，可以用来炒着吃或者做汤。
In winter, the vegetable garden is full of fresh tatsoi, which can be stir-fried or made into soup.
2
dark; gloomy; overcast
天边乌沉沉的，看来要下大雨了。
The sky on the horizon is dark and gloomy, it looks like it's going to rain heavily.
3
Pitch-dark; no lights or fires, describing a very dim or unlit environment.
晚上停电了，屋里乌灯黑火的，什么也看不见
The power went out at night, the room was in utter darkness, and I couldn't see anything.
4
pitch-dark; extremely dark, where nothing can be seen.
夜深了，房间里乌洞洞的，伸手不见五指
Late at night, the room was pitch dark, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
5
time flies; the rapid passage of time
岁月如梭，乌飞兔走，转眼间我们已不再是当年的少年。
Years pass quickly, time flies like the swift movement of the sun and moon, and in the blink of an eye, we are no longer the youths we once were.
6
A disorderly, leaderless, or uncultured crowd that is easily dispersed.
这次行动之所以失败，是因为参与者只是一群乌合之众，没有统一的指挥和明确的目标。
The reason this operation failed was because the participants were merely a disorganized rabble, lacking unified command and clear objectives.
7
jet-black; raven; pitch-black
她的长发乌黑发亮，在阳光下闪着光泽
Her long hair was jet black and shiny, gleaming in the sunlight.
8
Alas! (an interjection expressing sorrow or regret)
乌呼！我们的假期怎么这么快就结束了？
Alas! How did our holiday end so quickly?
9
The Wujiang River (Wū Jiāng) is a 1,050-km-long major southern tributary of the upper Yangtze River, originating in northwest Guizhou and flowing north to Fuling. It is characterized by deep valleys, rapid waters, and abundant hydropower resources.
乌江两岸的喀斯特地貌独特而壮丽，吸引了众多游客前来观赏。
The karst landscape on both banks of the Wujiang River is unique and magnificent, attracting many tourists to come and admire it.
10
Wujin refers to coal or, in traditional Chinese medicine, an ink stick.
这片山区蕴藏着丰富的乌金，为当地经济发展提供了坚实的基础。
This mountainous area is rich in black gold (coal), providing a solid foundation for local economic development.
11
Ula (wùla) refers to traditional winter boots from Northeast China, made of leather and lined with ula sedge.
奶奶年轻的时候，在冬天总喜欢穿着她自己做的乌拉，非常暖和。
When Grandma was young, she always liked to wear the ula shoes she made herself during winter; they were very warm.
12
The Ural River is a river in Russia, originating in the Ural Mountains and flowing into the Caspian Sea.
乌拉尔河是连接欧洲和亚洲的重要自然分界线，它的两岸展现出不同的地貌特征
The Ural River serves as an important natural boundary connecting Europe and Asia, with its banks displaying distinct geographical features.
13
The Ural Mountains are a mountain range in Russia, forming a natural boundary between Europe and Asia.
乌拉尔山脉是欧洲和亚洲之间重要的地理分界线，拥有丰富的自然资源。
The Ural Mountains are an important geographical dividing line between Europe and Asia, rich in natural resources.
14
15
Dark, bright, and lively (often used to describe eyes).
她的眼睛乌溜溜的，像两颗黑亮的葡萄，充满着灵动与好奇。
Her eyes are dark, bright, and lively, like two glistening black grapes, full of spirit and curiosity.
More words with 乌
- wū乌guī龟turtle, tortoise
- wū乌yā鸦crow, raven
- wū乌yún云dark clouds, gloom
- wū乌fà发black hair, raven hair
- wū乌yǒu有nothing, non-existence
- wū乌liǎn蔹méi莓Japanese ampelopsis, Ampelopsis japonica
- wū乌tuō托bāng邦An ideal, perfect place or state., An impractical ideal or scheme.
- wū乌yún云mì密bù布Dark clouds gathering, Heavily overcast
- wū乌zéi贼yú鱼squid, cuttlefish
- xiǎo小wū乌guī龟little turtle, baby turtle
- wū乌hū乎Alas, Oh
- wū乌yù芋Water chestnut
- wū乌guā鸹crow, raven
- wū乌jiù桕shù树Chinese Tallow Tree, Tallow Tree
- wū乌zhuī骓mǎ马Wuzhui horse, Black Steed
- wū乌hēi黑fā发liàng亮jet black and shiny, glossy black
- jīn金wū乌xī西zhuì坠The sun sets in the west., The sun sets.
Idioms with 乌
- wū乌bái白mǎ马jiǎo角utterly impossible event
- wū乌qī七bā八zāo糟in a terrible mess
- wū乌qī漆mò墨hēi黑pitch-dark
- wū乌tiān天hēi黑dì地utterly dark, chaotic, or degenerate
- wū乌yān烟zhàng瘴qì气foul and chaotic atmosphere
- wū乌yǒu有xiān先shēng生a fictitious person or thing
- wū乌yún云yā压dǐng顶impending crisis or great pressure
- ài爱wū屋jí及wū乌Love extends to all related to a person
- bí鼻qīng青yǎn眼wū乌battered and bruised face
- huà化wéi为wū乌yǒu有vanish into thin air
- qīng青yī衣wū乌mào帽commoner's attire
- tù兔zǒu走wū乌fēi飞time flies swiftly
Recommended tools
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →Questions about 乌
What does 乌 mean in Chinese?
乌 (wū) means “"Wū" (乌) refers to a crow” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 乌?
乌 is pronounced wū in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 乌 have?
乌 has 4 strokes.
How do you write 乌?
乌 is written in 4 strokes, starting from the radical 丿. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 乌?
The radical of 乌 is 丿, and 乌 is a pictograph.