巫 (wū): also pr., witch, wizard
巫 (wū) is a Chinese character meaning “also pr..” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 工 (structural) and 从 (structural). It ranks #2141 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 巫 a cross-shaped divining rod. Its radical form 工 (work) appears in many related characters such as 工 (gōng, work), 左 (zuǒ, left), 差 (chā, difference).
Definitions
- also pr.
- witch
- wizard
Etymology & Origin
pictographicA cross-shaped divining rod
Decomposition: ⿻工从 (layout: overlay)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 巫 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 巫师 | wū shī | wizard |
| 女巫 | nǚ wū | witch |
| 巫婆 | wū pó | witch |
| 巫术 | wū shù | witchcraft |
| 巫医 | wū yī | witch doctor |
| 小巫见大巫 | xiǎo wū jiàn dà wū | lit. minor magician in the presence of a great one (idiom) |
| 巫山 | wū shān | Mt Wu on the Changjiang River (Yangtze) by the Three Gorges |
| 曾经沧海难为水，除却巫山不是云 | céng jīng cāng hǎi nán wéi shuǐ , chú què wū shān bù shì yún | there are no rivers to one who has crossed the ocean, and no clouds to one who has passed Mount Wu (idiom) |
| 巫毒教 | wū dú jiào | Voodoo (religious cult) |
| 巫统 | wū tǒng | UMNO (United Malays National Organization), Malaysia's largest political party |
| 巫山县 | wū shān xiàn | Wushan, a county in Chongqing 重慶|重庆[Chong2 qing4] |
| 男巫 | nán wū | wizard |
| 噶哈巫族 | gá hā wū zú | Kaxabu or Kahabu, one of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan |
| 巫蛊之祸 | wū gǔ zhī huò | 91 BC attempted coup d'etat against Emperor Wu of Han 漢武帝|汉武帝, beginning with accusations of witchcraft |
| 巫毒 | wū dú | voodoo (loanword) |
巫 appears in 22 compound words: 73 as the first character, 14 as the last, and 14 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 巫 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Example Sentences
老师教我们巫字的发音和笔顺。
lǎo shī jiào wǒ men wū zì de fā yīn hé bǐ shùn .
The teacher taught us the pronunciation and stroke order of the character "巫."
场边人语/勇士止痛 巫师难同
chǎng biān rén yǔ yǒng shì zhǐ tòng wū shī nán tóng
On the Sidelines: Warriors Find Relief, Wizards Struggle
持手机掷伤女子 诗巫男子判监1个月14天
chí shǒu jī zhì shāng nǚ zǐ shī wū nán zǐ pàn jiān 1 gè yuè 1 4 tiān
Throwing a mobile phone at a woman Sibu man sentenced to 1 month and 14 days in prison
...的!老鹰库明加24分钟狂轰27分带队大胜巫师
. . . de ! lǎo yīng kù míng jiā 2 4 fēn zhōng kuáng hōng 2 7 fēn dài duì dà shèng wū shī
... of! Hawks Kuminga scored 27 points in 24 minutes to lead the team to a big victory over the Wizards
诗巫肥料罗里追尾油槽罗里 乘客不幸丧命 两人...
shī wū féi liào luó lǐ zhuī wěi yóu cáo luó lǐ chéng kè bù xìng sāng mìng liǎng rén . . .
Sibu fertilizer rollie rear-ended oil tank rolly and the passenger unfortunately died, two...
沙田早晨│巫伟杰大举练兵
shā tián zǎo chén wū wěi jié dà jǔ liàn bīng
Sha Tin Morning│Wu Weijie conducted large-scale military training
她才是真正的巫婆！
Tā cái shì zhēnzhèng de wūpó!
She is a true witch!
所以, 有段时间你也是个巫师吗?
Suǒyǐ, yǒu duàn shíjiān nǐ yě shì gè wūshī ma?
So, was there a time when you were a wizard, too?
巫师问年轻人：「你懂什么技艺？」
Wūshī wèn niánqīngrén:「 nǐ dǒng shénme jìyì?」
"What craft do you know?" the wizard asked the youth.
巫术在原始社会扮演重要角色。
Wūshù zài yuánshǐshèhuì bànyǎn zhòngyào juésè.
Magic plays an important part in primitive society.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 巫 (wū) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 巫 have?
What is the radical of 巫?
What are the components of 巫?
What are common words containing 巫?
What characters sound the same as 巫 (wū)?
Is 巫 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 巫 with real-time feedback
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