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乌 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
乌Wūsurname Wunr, 4 strokes, radical 丿, rank #7686, Hard
乌Wūcrownr, 4 strokes, radical 丿, rank #7686, Hard
乌Wūblacknr, 4 strokes, radical 丿, rank #7686, Hard
乌Wūcrow, rook, raven; black, darknr, 4 strokes, radical 丿, rank #7686, Hard
乌Wūabbr. for Ukraine 烏克蘭nr, 4 strokes, radical 丿, rank #7686, Hard
乌Wūabbr. for Ukraine 烏克蘭|乌克兰[Wu1 ke4 lan2]unknown, 4 strokes, radical 丿, rank #7686, Hard
Wū(Wu1)wu T1
  1. 1surname Wu
  2. 2crow
Also a Chinese surname, Wu — see the Surname Dictionary
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

乌(烏)Wū(Wu1)

The character 乌 (wū) primarily means 'crow' or 'black' in Mandarin. It is often used in contexts describing color or as part of a surname. Additionally, 乌 serves as an abbreviation for Ukraine, reflecting its significance in geographical and political discussions.

Strokes4Radical丿Frequency#7686DifficultyHard
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, the crow (乌鸦) is often associated with bad omens or misfortune, reflecting deep-rooted beliefs about certain animals. Additionally, the abbreviation for Ukraine highlights China's engagement with international politics.

Memory tip

Imagine a black crow (乌) sitting on a Ukrainian flag, where the black color vividly represents both the character's meaning and its association with Ukraine. The pronunciation 'wū' can be remembered by thinking of the sound a crow makes when it caws.

Meanings of 乌

Wū(Wu1)
1crow
2black
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 乌

乌Simplified
烏Traditional
4Strokes
丿Radical
人名míngcíproper noun (pr.n.)Part of Speech
#7686Frequency Rank

Podcast: 乌

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Podcast: 乌

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AI study notes for 乌

Usage Notes

乌 is often used in both formal and informal contexts, particularly when discussing colors or animals. Common collocations include 乌鸦 (wū yā) for 'crow' and 乌黑 (wū hēi) for 'pitch black.' Learners should be careful with the tone, as mispronouncing it could lead to confusion with other words.

HSK Study Tips

While 乌 does not appear on the HSK lists, it connects with basic vocabulary regarding animals and colors, which are crucial at the beginner level. Students should focus on recognizing it in written texts and practice its pronunciation to avoid tonal errors.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 乌 with other similar-sounding characters, such as 误 (wù, 'to mistake'). For example, saying 乌 for a mistake would be incorrect; the correct character is 误.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 乌

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Etymology of 乌

Formation typePictographic 象形
六书 ClassificationPictograph (象形字)~4% of characters
Explanation

Simplified form of 烏. Pictograph of a crow. Similar to 鳥.

Memory hint

Simplified form of 烏; a crow; compare 鸟

Learn more about Pictograph (象形字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

What kind of character is 乌?

Decomposition of 乌

IDS Structure⿱丿？
乌Full character
=
丿pie3
top
Exercise 1 of 1

Parts

Which of these is part of 乌?

How to say surname Wu in Chinese

“surname Wu” in Chinese is乌Wū

The character 乌 (wū) primarily means 'crow' or 'black' in Mandarin. It is often used in contexts describing color or as part of a surname. Additionally, 乌 serves as an abbreviation for Ukraine, reflecting its significance in geographical and political discussions.

When to use 乌

乌 is often used in both formal and informal contexts, particularly when discussing colors or animals. Common collocations include 乌鸦 (wū yā) for 'crow' and 乌黑 (wū hēi) for 'pitch black.' Learners should be careful with the tone, as mispronouncing it could lead to confusion with other words.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 乌 with other similar-sounding characters, such as 误 (wù, 'to mistake'). For example, saying 乌 for a mistake would be incorrect; the correct character is 误.

Write 乌

乌

Practice writing 乌 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Grammar patterns of 乌

乌 functions as a noun — it names a person, place, thing, or concept. Place it as a subject before the verb (主+谓) or as an object after the verb (谓+宾). Most Chinese nouns require a measure word between the number and the noun (e.g. 一个/三本). It carries 6 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 4

Fill the gap

Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.

你需要尽你所能，最大限度地去努力。只要你这么做，只要你能保持乐观，你就会看见____云背后的幸福线。

You have to do everything you can. You have to work your hardest. And if you do, if you stay positive, then you have a shot at a silver lining.

Example sentences for 乌 (10)

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1
你需要尽你所能，最大限度地去努力。只要你这么做，只要你能保持乐观，你就会看见乌云背后的幸福线。

nǐ xūyào jìn nǐ suǒ néng， zuì dà xiàndù dì qù nǔlì。 zhǐyào nǐ zhème zuò， zhǐyào nǐ néng bǎochí lèguān， nǐ jiù huì kànjiàn wūyún bèihòu de xìngfú xiàn。

You have to do everything you can. You have to work your hardest. And if you do, if you stay positive, then you have a shot at a silver lining.
2
他对大自然怀有一种极为纯粹的乌托邦式看法。

tā duì dàzìrán huái yǒu yī zhǒng jíwéi chúncuì de Wū tuō bāng shì kànfǎ。

His was a utopian vision of nature in its purest form.
3
在世界杯热身赛中，乌拉圭队打败了英格兰队。

zài shìjièbēi rè shēn sài zhōng， Wū lā guī duì dǎbài le Yīng gé lán duì。

In a warm-up game for the World Cup, Uruguay have beaten England.
4
一片赞成声在乌克兰议会中回响。

yī piàn zànchéng shēng zài Wū kè lán yìhuì zhōng huíxiǎng。

A roar of approval resounded through the Ukrainian parliament.
5
司机一头乌发、肤色黝黑，可能是个马耳他人。

sījī yìtóu Wū fā、 fū sè yǒu hēi， kěnéng shì gè mǎ ěr tārén。

The driver was very dark. Maltese, maybe.
6
乌克兰人所说的那种斯拉夫语系的语言类似于俄语。

Wū kè lán rén suǒ shuō de nà zhǒng Sī lā fū yǔ jì de yǔyán lèisì yú éyǔ。

The Ukrainians speak a Slavonic language similar to Russian.
7
乌克兰表示将自己建立一支40多万人的军队。

Wū kè lán biǎoshì jiāng zìjǐ jiànlì yī zhī40 duō wàn rén de jūnduì。

Ukraine indicated that it would establish its own army, 400,000 strong.
8
他为那乌黑的头发和白皙的面庞所倾倒。

tā wèi nà wūhēi de tóufa hé bái xī de miàn páng suǒ qīngdǎo。

He's hypnotized by that black hair and that white face.
9
我对此完全赞成，但是乌尔夫说不行。

wǒ duì cǐ wánquán zànchéng， dànshì Wū ěr fū shuō bùxíng。

I was all for it, but Wolfe said no.
10
我们对这些子虚乌有的谣言从何而来很感兴趣。

wǒmen duì zhèxiē zi xū Wū yǒude yáoyán cóng hé ér lái hěn gǎnxìngqù。

We're interested in the source of these fictitious rumours.

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Word Family of 乌

Compounds7
岛dǎovariant of 島
坞wùbank, entrenchment, low wall; dock
呜wūthe sound of someone crying or sobbing
枭xiāoowl; evil; brave
钨wūtungsten, wolfram
邬wūvarious place names; surname
凫fúwild duck; teal; swim
Words containing this character19
乌Wūcrow烏
乌克兰wūkèlánUkraine烏克蘭
乌龟wūguītortoise烏龜
乌鸦wūyācrow烏鴉
乌鲁木齐wūlǔmùqíÜrümqi or Urumqi prefecture level city and capital of Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region 新疆維吾爾自治區|新疆维吾尔自治区 in west China烏魯木齊
乌云wūyúnblack cloud烏雲
乌托邦wūtuōbāngutopia (loanword)烏托邦
义乌yìwūYiwu county level city in Jinhua 金華|金华[Jīn​huá], Zhejiang義烏
乌干达wūgāndáUganda烏干達
乌兹别克斯坦wūzībiékèsītǎnUzbekistan烏茲別克斯坦
乌贼wūzéicuttlefish烏賊
乌拉圭wūlāguīUruguay烏拉圭
乌龙wūlóngblack dragon烏龍
乌黑wūhēidark烏黑
乌合之众wūhézhīzhòngmob烏合之眾
乌鲁木齐市wūlǔmùqíshìÜrümqi or Urumqi prefecture level city and capital of Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region 新疆維吾爾自治區|新疆维吾尔自治区[Xīn​jiāng​Wéi​wú​'ěr​Zì​zhì​qū] in west China烏魯木齊市
化为乌有huàwéiwūyǒuto go up in smoke化為烏有
乌烟瘴气wūyānzhàngqìbillowing smoke (idiom)烏煙瘴氣
乌龙茶wūlóngcháoolong tea烏龍茶
Exercise 1 of 4

Characters with 乌

What does 坞 mean?

Frequently asked questions about 乌

乌 primarily means 'crow' and 'black,' and it is also an abbreviation for Ukraine.

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