污 (wū) is a Chinese character meaning “dirty”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 亏 (loss; deficit), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “dirty”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 亏
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：6 画 = 氵 3 画 + 亏 3 画；部首取康熙 85 水部；右侧与现代读音 wū / 亏 kuī 声母韵母皆不合，不标为声符
Memory aid
Water (氵) that has taken a loss (亏) — three drops gone bad are filth.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 污水wū shuǐsewage; dirty water污 = wū
- 污染wū rǎnpollution; to pollute污 = wū
- 污垢wū gòudirt; grime; filth污 = wū
- 污浊wū zhuófilthy; foul; dirty污 = wū
- 污秽wū huìfilthy; foul; filth污 = wū
- 玷污diàn wūto stain; to tarnish; to defile污 = wū
Go deeper
All readings
dirty; to pollute
dirty; filthy; foul water; to pollute; to stain
脏；不干净。也指弄脏、玷污，或不干净的水。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 污水wū shuǐsewage; dirty water污 = wū
- 污染wū rǎnpollution; to pollute污 = wū
- 污垢wū gòudirt; grime; filth污 = wū
- 污浊wū zhuófilthy; foul; dirty污 = wū
- 污秽wū huìfilthy; foul; filth污 = wū
- 玷污diàn wūto stain; to tarnish; to defile污 = wū
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 污 mean?
污 (wū) means dirty; filthy; foul water; to pollute; to stain.
How do you pronounce 污?
It is pronounced wū.
What parts is 污 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 亏 (loss; deficit), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：6 画 = 氵 3 画 + 亏 3 画；部首取康熙 85 水部；右侧与现代读音 wū / 亏 kuī 声母韵母皆不合，不标为声符. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 污 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 污?
水. 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 污?
Common ones are 污水 and 污染. The reading of 污 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.