未 Stroke Order — How to Write 未
未 is written in 5 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 木, 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.
未 Radical and Character Components
未 is an ideographic compound. A wheat plant that has not yet borne fruit; compare 來.
Radical: 木 + 1 more stroke
未 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- wèi
Meanings of 未 in Chinese
1
wèi未
Used to express 'not', 'not yet', or 'never', indicating something has not happened or is not the case.
我们对未来充满了希望。
We are full of hope for the future.
The eighth of the twelve Earthly Branches, corresponding to the hour of 1-3 p.m. and symbolizing the sheep in the Chinese zodiac.
她出生在未时，听说这样的人性格温顺
She was born in the wèi hour, and it's said that people born then have a gentle personality.
Used in timekeeping, specifically referring to the period from 1 PM to 3 PM (未时).
我们约好未时在公园门口集合。
We agreed to meet at the park entrance between 1 PM and 3 PM.
Used at the end of a sentence to form a question.
他来了未?
Has he arrived yet?
Common Words and Phrases with 未
1
May not; not necessarily.
有钱人未必快乐，快乐也未必需要很多钱。
Wealthy people are not necessarily happy, and happiness does not necessarily require a lot of money.
2
Inconvenient; not in a position to; find it hard to.
我今日身体不适，未便出门。
I'm not feeling well today, so it's inconvenient for me to go out.
3
To foresee future events without divination; to have prescience or foresight.
这位老教授仿佛有未卜先知的能力，总是能提前预料到实验中可能出现的问题。
This old professor seemed to have the ability of prescience, always able to predict potential problems in experiments in advance.
4
5
Never; not once. When followed by another negative word, it forms a double negative, often conveying 'not necessarily' or 'it's not that... isn't...'.
我未尝见过如此美丽的晚霞。
I have never seen such a beautiful sunset.
6
without much difference; only a slight difference
他们两人的绘画风格未达一间，很难分辨出哪幅是出自谁手。
The painting styles of the two artists are so close, with only a slight difference, that it's hard to distinguish whose work is which.
7
undecided; uncertain; not yet fixed
会议的时间和地点都还未定。
The time and location of the meeting are still undetermined.
8
unmarried; single; not yet married
她虽然已经三十多岁，但仍然未婚。
Although she is over thirty, she is still unmarried.
9
10
A woman who is engaged to be married.
他向他的未婚妻求婚，她高兴地答应了
He proposed to his fiancée, and she happily accepted.
11
To not have enough time to do something; to not involve or reach something/someone.
由于路上堵车，我未及赶上早班会。
Because of traffic congestion, I didn't have time to make it to the morning meeting.
12
Not long after; before long; soon.
他刚到家，未几便接到了一个重要的电话。
He had just arrived home when, not long after, he received an important phone call.
13
Incomplete; unfinished.
他心中总有一份未竟的梦想，希望有一天能环游世界。
He always held an unfulfilled dream in his heart, hoping to travel around the world someday.
14
An unfulfilled ambition.
他心中一直藏着一个未竟之志，那就是环游世界。
He always harbored an unfulfilled aspiration in his heart, which was to travel around the world.
15
Unsettled or outstanding; not yet decided or resolved.
关于新产品发布日期的讨论仍在进行中，目前仍是未决事项
Discussions about the new product's release date are still ongoing, and it remains an undecided matter for now.
16
More words with 未
- xīn辛wèi未Xinwei
- wèi未lái来Future, Prospects
- wèi未néng能Failed to, Unable to
- wèi未zhī知unknown, unidentified
- cóng从wèi未never, never before
- shàng尚wèi未not yet, still not
- wèi未guǒ果unsuccessful, failed
- wèi未miǎn免a bit too, rather
- wèi未shí时1 PM to 3 PM, the hour of the Goat
- wèi未yāng央unending, never-ending
- wèi未yù愈unhealed, not healed
- huán还wèi未not yet, still not
- réng仍wèi未still not, not yet
- wèi未cān参yù与Not participated, Uninvolved
- wèi未chéng成nián年minor, underage
- wèi未gòu购mǎi买Not purchased, Unpurchased
- wèi未jiàn见Not seen, Unseen
- wèi未jīng经without, un-
- wèi未lái来fā发zhǎn展Future development, Future growth
- wèi未líng领qǔ取unclaimed, uncollected
Idioms with 未
- wèi未dìng定zhī之tiān天undecided or uncertain outcome
- wèi未kě可hòu厚fēi非cannot be overly criticized
- wèi未lǎo老xiān先shuāi衰prematurely aged
- wèi未liǎo了gōng公àn案unresolved issue
- wèi未néng能miǎn免sú俗Unable to avoid common customs
- wèi未wéi为bù不kě可not impossible, subtly affirmed
- wèi未yǔ雨chóu绸móu缪prepare for a rainy day
- bǎo宝dāo刀wèi未lǎo老old but still vigorous and capable
- chuǎn喘xī息wèi未dìng定still panting, not yet recovered
- cí雌xióng雄wèi未jué决The outcome is undecided
- fāng方xīng兴wèi未ài艾still developing vigorously
- fáng防huàn患wèi未méng萌nip trouble in the bud
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Open the tool →Questions about 未
What does 未 mean in Chinese?
未 (wèi) means “Used to express 'not'” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 未?
未 is pronounced wèi in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 未 have?
未 has 5 strokes.
How do you write 未?
未 is written in 5 strokes, starting from the radical 木. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 未?
The radical of 未 is 木, and 未 is an ideographic compound.