捂 (wǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “to cover with the hand”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 吾 (I; me (classical)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to cover (with the hand)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 吾
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：扌 3 笔 + 吾 7 笔 = 10 笔）；扌表手部动作，吾表音（wú / wǔ）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) clamps over me (吾) — to cover something with your hand, like 捂住 your ears.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 捂住wǔ zhùto cover tightly (with the hand)捂 = wǔ
- 捂热wǔ rèto warm up by keeping covered捂 = wǔ
Go deeper
All readings
to cover (with the hand)
to cover with the hand; to muffle; to keep something covered or sealed (e.g. to keep it warm)
用手或其他东西遮住、盖严，使不透气或不露出来。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 捂住wǔ zhùto cover tightly (with the hand)捂 = wǔ
- 捂热wǔ rèto warm up by keeping covered捂 = wǔ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 捂 mean?
捂 (wǔ) means to cover with the hand; to muffle; to keep something covered or sealed (e.g. to keep it warm).
How do you pronounce 捂?
It is pronounced wǔ.
What parts is 捂 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 吾 (I; me (classical)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：扌 3 笔 + 吾 7 笔 = 10 笔）；扌表手部动作，吾表音（wú / wǔ）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 捂 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 捂?
手. 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 捂?
Common ones are 捂住 and 捂热. The reading of 捂 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.