威 (wēi) is a Chinese character meaning “might”. It is written from 戌 (the 11th Earthly Branch; the halberd frame 戊 with one flat stroke inside) and 女 (woman; female), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “power that commands awe”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
戌 + 女
Enclosing structure
- 戌 the 11th Earthly Branch; the halberd frame 戊 with one flat stroke inside · xū meaning
- 女 woman; female · nǚ meaning
Structure from: 说文解字: 威，姑也。从女从戌 (modern-form split verified against hanzi-writer stroke data: 6+3=9)
Memory aid
The halberd frame 戌 swings wide open and a woman 女 sits calmly right inside it. Weapons all around her, and nobody dares move — that is 威, awe.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 威胁wēi xiéto threaten; a threat威 = wēi
- 威力wēi lìpower; might; formidable force威 = wēi
Go deeper
All readings
power that commands awe
might; power that makes people respect and fear you; prestige; to overawe
使人敬畏的力量或气势。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 威胁wēi xiéto threaten; a threat威 = wēi
- 威力wēi lìpower; might; formidable force威 = wēi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 威 mean?
威 (wēi) means might; power that makes people respect and fear you; prestige; to overawe.
How do you pronounce 威?
It is pronounced wēi.
What parts is 威 made of?
戌 (the 11th Earthly Branch; the halberd frame 戊 with one flat stroke inside) and 女 (woman; female), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 威，姑也。从女从戌 (modern-form split verified against hanzi-writer stroke data: 6+3=9). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 威 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 威?
女. 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 威?
Common ones are 威胁 and 威力. The reading of 威 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.