为 (wéi) is a Chinese character meaning “to do”. It is written from ㇔ (dot stroke) and ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇆ (horizontal-turning hook stroke) and ㇔ (dot stroke), and takes 4 strokes. It has a second reading, wèi, which turns up in 因为 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to be; to become”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
㇔ + ㇒ + ㇆ + ㇔
Overlapping structure
- ㇔ dot stroke unknown
- ㇒ left-falling stroke unknown
- ㇆ horizontal-turning hook stroke unknown
- ㇔ dot stroke unknown
Structure from: stroke-level decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 medians (4 strokes); no reliable component IDS available
Memory aid
A dot (㇔) lands first, then a long sweep (㇒) cuts down to the left; a turning stroke (㇆) folds over to hold the shape together, and one more dot (㇔) settles inside it — four small acts, and something gets done.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 成为chéng wéito become; to turn into为 = wéi
- 认为rèn wéito think; to consider; to hold the view that为 = wéi
- 尤为yóu wéiall the more; even more so为 = wéi
- 迄今为止qì jīn wéi zhǐup to the present; so far为 = wéi
- 颇为pō wéirather; quite; considerably为 = wéi
Go deeper
All readings
to be; to become; to do
to do; to act; to be; to become; to serve as
做；充当；变成。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 成为chéng wéito become; to turn into为 = wéi
- 认为rèn wéito think; to consider; to hold the view that为 = wéi
- 尤为yóu wéiall the more; even more so为 = wéi
- 迄今为止qì jīn wéi zhǐup to the present; so far为 = wéi
- 颇为pō wéirather; quite; considerably为 = wéi
for; because of
for; for the sake of; because of; on behalf of
表示行为的对象或原因；替、给。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 因为yīn wèibecause; because of为 = wèi
- 为啥wèi sháwhy (colloquial)为 = wèi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 为 mean?
为 (wéi) means to do; to act; to be; to become; to serve as.
How do you pronounce 为?
Its main reading is wéi. It also has a second reading, wèi, which only shows up in certain words such as 因为 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 为 sometimes pronounced wèi?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 因为 it is read wèi.
What parts is 为 made of?
㇔ (dot stroke) and ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇆ (horizontal-turning hook stroke) and ㇔ (dot stroke). The recorded source is: stroke-level decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 medians (4 strokes); no reliable component IDS available. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 为 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 为?
丶. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 为?
Common ones are 成为 and 认为. The reading of 为 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.