畏 (wèi) is a Chinese character meaning “to fear”. It is written from 田 (field; farmland) and 𧘇 (lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes)), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to fear; to hold in awe”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
田 + 𧘇
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: Unicode U+754F 现代字形拆分候选，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画几何核验：第 1–5 笔构成完整的「田」，第 6–9 笔构成「衣」字底「𧘇」，其中起笔在本字里写成贯穿全字的长横
Memory aid
A field (田) with the wide robe-bottom (𧘇) sweeping out beneath it: something towering stands over the field, and you hold back and keep your distance — fear mixed with respect.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 畏惧wèi jùto fear; to dread畏 = wèi
- 无畏wú wèifearless; dauntless畏 = wèi
Go deeper
All readings
to fear; to hold in awe
to fear; to dread; to hold in awe; to respect something greater than oneself
害怕；也指敬服、不敢轻慢。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 畏惧wèi jùto fear; to dread畏 = wèi
- 无畏wú wèifearless; dauntless畏 = wèi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 畏 mean?
畏 (wèi) means to fear; to dread; to hold in awe; to respect something greater than oneself.
How do you pronounce 畏?
It is pronounced wèi.
What parts is 畏 made of?
田 (field; farmland) and 𧘇 (lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes)), one above the other. The recorded source is: Unicode U+754F 现代字形拆分候选，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画几何核验：第 1–5 笔构成完整的「田」，第 6–9 笔构成「衣」字底「𧘇」，其中起笔在本字里写成贯穿全字的长横. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 畏 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 畏?
田. 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 畏?
Common ones are 畏惧 and 无畏. The reading of 畏 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.