惟 (wéi) is a Chinese character meaning “only”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 隹 (short-tailed bird), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “only”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
忄 + 隹
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 惟，凡思也。从心隹聲; modern form verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke counts (忄 3 + 隹 8 = 11)
Memory aid
A heart (忄) beside a short-tailed bird (隹): the mind keeps circling back to one single thought, like a bird to one branch — only this.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 惟妙惟肖wéi miào wéi xiàoremarkably lifelike; vividly true to life惟 = wéi
- 惟独wéi dúonly; alone; except for惟 = wéi
Go deeper
All readings
only
only; alone (same as 唯); (literary) to think, to consider
只；单单（同「唯」）。书面语中也指思考、想。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 惟妙惟肖wéi miào wéi xiàoremarkably lifelike; vividly true to life惟 = wéi
- 惟独wéi dúonly; alone; except for惟 = wéi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 惟 mean?
惟 (wéi) means only; alone (same as 唯); (literary) to think, to consider.
How do you pronounce 惟?
It is pronounced wéi.
What parts is 惟 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 隹 (short-tailed bird), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 惟，凡思也。从心隹聲; modern form verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke counts (忄 3 + 隹 8 = 11). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 惟 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 惟?
忄. 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 惟?
Common ones are 惟妙惟肖 and 惟独. The reading of 惟 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.