午 (wǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “noon”. It is written from 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 干 (dry), and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “noon”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
丿 + 干
Overlapping structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1 笔为丿，第 2–4 笔组成干）
Memory aid
A short slant (丿) laid across 干: the sun has climbed to the top of the pole and stops there. That is noon.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 上午shàng wǔmorning; before noon午 = wǔ
- 下午xià wǔafternoon; p.m.午 = wǔ
- 壬午rén wǔrenwu, the 19th year of the sexagenary cycle午 = wǔ
- 晌午shǎng wunoon; midday午 = wǔ
Go deeper
All readings
noon
noon; midday; the seventh of the twelve Earthly Branches
中午，白天十二点前后的时段；也是十二地支的第七位。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 上午shàng wǔmorning; before noon午 = wǔ
- 下午xià wǔafternoon; p.m.午 = wǔ
- 壬午rén wǔrenwu, the 19th year of the sexagenary cycle午 = wǔ
- 晌午shǎng wunoon; midday午 = wǔ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 午 mean?
午 (wǔ) means noon; midday; the seventh of the twelve Earthly Branches.
How do you pronounce 午?
It is pronounced wǔ.
What parts is 午 made of?
丿 (left-falling stroke) and 干 (dry). The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1 笔为丿，第 2–4 笔组成干）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 午 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 午?
十. 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 午?
Common ones are 上午 and 下午. The reading of 午 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.