捂 (wǔ): to enclose, to cover with the hand (one's eyes, nose or ears), to cover up (an affair)
捂 (wǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “to enclose.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 扌 (structural) and 吾 (structural). It ranks #2794 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 捂 to resist 吾 by hand 扌; 吾 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 扌 (hand) appears in many related characters such as 手 (shǒu, hand), 打 (dǎ, hit, make), 找 (zhǎo, to look for).
Definitions
- to enclose
- to cover with the hand (one's eyes, nose or ears)
- to cover up (an affair)
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTo resist 吾 by hand 扌; 吾 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿰扌吾 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 捂 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 捂住verb | wǔ zhù | to cover (typically by placing a hand over sb's mouth, nose or ears etc) |
| 捂脸verb | wǔ liǎn | to cover one's face with one's hand(s) |
捂 appears in 2 compound words: 100 as the first character, 0 as the last, and 0 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 捂 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Example Sentences
他捂了一个电话，约朋友晚上一起吃饭。
tā wǔ le yī gě diàn huà , yāo péng yǒu wǎn shǎng yī qǐ chī fàn .
He made a phone call and arranged to meet a friend for dinner that evening.
图源《喜羊羊与灰太狼之破界山海诀》 美羊羊“捂裙”镜头引发争议？
tú yuán xǐ yáng yáng yǔ huī tài láng zhī pò jiè shān hǎi jué měi yáng yáng wǔ qún jìng tóu yǐn fā zhēng yì ?
Image source: *Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf: The Secret of the Boundary-Breaking Mountains and Seas*—Has a scene featuring Mei Yangyang “covering her skirt” sparked controversy?
无暴晒、无劳作，“捂出”热射病 炎炎夏日，居然还有人在用电热毯？
wú bào shài , wú láo zuò , wǔ chū rè shè bìng yán yán xià rì , jū rán hái yǒu rén zài yòng diàn rè tǎn ?
No Sun Exposure, No Physical Labor—Heatstroke “Caused” by a Heated Blanket? In the sweltering summer heat, are there really people still using electric blankets?
同时尽快捂住口鼻，控制呼吸频率，以减少气体、污物吸入体内。
tóng shí jǐn kuài wǔ zhù kǒu bí , kòng zhì hū xī pín lǜ , yǐ jiǎn shǎo qì tǐ , wū wù xī rù tǐ nèi .
At the same time, cover your mouth and nose as quickly as possible and control your breathing rate to minimize the inhalation of gases and contaminants.
现货铅价下调 再生精铅持货商捂货惜售 下游电池厂逢低采购
xiàn huò qiān jià xià diào zài shēng jīng qiān chí huò shāng wǔ huò xī shòu xià yóu diàn chí hǎn féng dī cǎi gòu
Spot lead prices have fallen; suppliers of refined recycled lead are holding onto their inventory and reluctant to sell, while downstream battery manufacturers are taking advantage of the lower prices to stock up.
“春捂”应该怎么“捂”?重点关注哪些部位?一文...
chūn wǔ yīng gāi zěn má wǔ ? chóng diǎn guān zhù nǎ xiē bù wèi ? yī wén . . .
How Should You "Stay Warm" in Spring? Which Body Parts Should You Focus On? A Guide...
她捂着嘴，笑得跟个小女生似的。
Tā wǔ zhe zuǐ, xiào de gēn gè xiǎonǚ shēng shìde.
She laughed the way schoolgirls do, with her hand over her mouth.
她用手捂住了电话的话筒。
Tā yòng shǒu wǔzhù le diànhuà de huàtǒng.
She covered the mouthpiece of the phone with her hand.
汤姆用他的手捂住了他的脸。
Tāngmǔ yòng tā de shǒu wǔzhù le tā de liǎn.
Tom covered his face with his hands.
你咳嗽、打喷嚏或打哈欠的时候要捂住你的嘴。
Nǐ késou, dǎpēntì huò dǎ hāqian de shíhou yào wǔzhù nǐ de zuǐ.
Cover your mouth when you cough, sneeze, or yawn.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 捂 (wǔ) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 捂 and 下?
How many strokes does 捂 have?
What is the radical of 捂?
What are the components of 捂?
What are common words containing 捂?
What characters sound the same as 捂 (wǔ)?
Is 捂 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 捂 with real-time feedback
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