误 Stroke Order — How to Write 误
误 is written in 9 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 讠, 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.
误 Radical and Character Components
误 is a phono-semantic compound: 讠 (speech) carries the meaning, while 吴 indicates the sound.
Radical: 讠 + 7 more strokes
误 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- wù
Meanings of 误 in Chinese
1
wù误
Mistake; error; wrong; incorrect.
这次计算失误导致了结果不准确。
This calculation error led to inaccurate results.
To delay; to hold up; to miss (an opportunity or time), often causing an inconvenience or problem.
别耽误了你的工作。
Don't delay your work.
to harm or cause detriment/ruin due to one's own mistake or negligence
老师的教学方式不当，可能会误了学生的前程。
A teacher's inappropriate teaching methods could harm students' future prospects.
To cause harm or a negative outcome unintentionally; accidental or erroneous.
他一不小心，误伤了队友。
He accidentally injured his teammate.
Common Words and Phrases with 误
1
The difference between an observed or calculated value and its true value, often due to inaccuracies in measurement or uncontrollable factors.
测量结果可能存在一些误差，我们应该仔细核对。
There might be some errors in the measurement results, so we should carefully verify them.
2
An actor failing to appear on stage for a scheduled performance.
原定在八点开始的演出，因为主要演员误场，不得不推迟了半小时。
The performance originally scheduled for 8 PM had to be postponed by half an hour because the main actor missed his performance.
3
To miss a train, bus, or other vehicle.
我睡过头了，结果误车了，上班迟到了。
I overslept and consequently missed my bus, which made me late for work.
4
to call by the wrong name; miscall
他因为一时口误，把经理的姓氏误称为另一个人的姓氏。
Due to a slip of the tongue, he accidentally misnamed the manager's surname, calling it someone else's.
5
to do something accidentally or unintentionally
他只是想出去散步，结果误打误撞地发现了一个美丽的湖泊。
He just wanted to go for a walk, and he accidentally stumbled upon a beautiful lake.
6
To mislead someone or guide them wrongly.
广告商因其具有误导性的宣传语而受到消费者投诉。
The advertiser received complaints from consumers due to its misleading promotional language.
7
to be delayed or behind schedule, often referring to public transport such as planes or trains.
由于恶劣天气，这趟列车误点了将近一个小时。
Due to bad weather, this train was delayed by nearly an hour.
8
loss of working time due to absence, lateness, or delay.
由于突发情况，他不得不请假，导致误工两天。
Due to an emergency, he had to take leave, which resulted in two days of missed work.
9
to do harm to one's country; to mislead the nation
如果只知贪图享乐，不思进取，往往会做出误国误民的蠢事
If one only indulges in pleasure and lacks ambition, they often commit follies that cause grave detriment to the common good and its inhabitants.
10
to misunderstand; a misunderstanding
请不要误会我的意思，我只是想表达我的看法。
Please don't misunderstand my meaning; I just want to express my opinion.
11
to teach incorrectly or poorly; misteach
由于缺乏经验，新老师有时可能会误教学生一些概念。
Due to lack of experience, new teachers might sometimes mis-teach students some concepts.
12
to misunderstand or a wrong understanding
我们之间可能存在一些误解，我觉得我们需要坐下来好好沟通一下。
There might be some misunderstandings between us, and I think we need to sit down and communicate properly.
13
To be late; originally, to miss the morning roll call in the ancient Chinese army.
他今天早上因为睡过头，结果开会误卯了，让大家等了他好久。
This morning, because he overslept, he was late for the meeting, making everyone wait for him for a long time.
14
to delay; to miss a deadline
由于天气恶劣，货物运输可能会误期
Due to severe weather, the shipment of goods might be delayed.
15
To misteach or mislead young people, causing them harm or hindering their development.
一位不负责任的老师，不仅不会提高学生的成绩，反而会误人子弟。
An irresponsible teacher will not only fail to improve students' grades, but will also mislead and harm their students.
More words with 误
- dān耽wu误delay, hold up
- chí迟wù误delay; be held up
- é讹wù误error, mistake
- miù谬wù误A falsehood or a mistake.
- yí贻wù误delay, miss an opportunity
- kān勘wù误biǎo表Errata, errata sheet
- guāi乖wù误falsehood; error
- kān刊wù误errata, correction
- kān勘wù误Errata, Correction
- cuò错wù误Error, Mistake
- shī失wù误Mistake, Error
- yán延wù误Delay, Postponement
- wú无wù误Correct, Accurate
- wù误chuán传misinformation, false report
- wù误qū区Misconception, Common mistake
- wù误rù入stray into, mistakenly enter
- wù误shāng伤accidental injury, friendly fire
- wù误shí食Accidental ingestion, Eat by mistake
- wù误zhěn诊misdiagnosis, wrong diagnosis
- bǐ笔wù误typo, slip of the pen
Idioms with 误
- wù误luò落fēng风chén尘forced into prostitution
- wù误rù入mí迷jīn津go astray due to confusion
- wù误rù入mí迷tú途to be led astray
- wù误rù入qí歧tú途go astray
- wù误shā杀hǎo好rén人accidentally kill an innocent person
- bù不wù误nóng农shí时not miss the farming season
- huò祸guó国wù误mín民harm the country and mislead the people
- qī欺jūn君wù误guó国deceive ruler, ruin country
- yī一cháng场wù误huì会a misunderstanding
- yī一wù误zài再wù误repeatedly make mistakes
- yí贻wù误jūn军jī机bungle critical military opportunity
- yīn因xún循zuò坐wù误procrastinate and miss opportunities
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 →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →Questions about 误
What does 误 mean in Chinese?
误 (wù) means “Mistake” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 误?
误 is pronounced wù in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 误 have?
误 has 9 strokes.
How do you write 误?
误 is written in 9 strokes, starting from the radical 讠. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 误?
The radical of 误 is 讠, and 误 is a phono-semantic compound.