戊 (wù) is a Chinese character meaning “the fifth of the ten Heavenly Stems, used to name years and”. It is written from 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 戈 (dagger-axe (ancient pole weapon); Kangxi radical 62), and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “fifth Heavenly Stem”
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Structure
丿 + 戈
Overlapping structure
Structure from: modern shape decomposition candidate ⿻丿戈, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1: 戊 strokes 1/3/4/5 match 戈 (横·斜钩·撇·点) and stroke 2 is the extra 丿
Memory aid
Take the dagger-axe 戈 and cut one extra 丿 straight down through its left side — the blade now leans, and that is 戊.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 戊戌wù xūthe 35th year of the sexagenary cycle, as in the 1898 Reform (戊戌变法)戊 = wù
- 戊戌变法wù xū biàn fǎthe Hundred Days' Reform of 1898戊 = wù
Go deeper
All readings
fifth Heavenly Stem
the fifth of the ten Heavenly Stems, used to name years and days in the traditional Chinese sexagenary calendar
天干的第五位，用于干支纪年、纪日。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 戊戌wù xūthe 35th year of the sexagenary cycle, as in the 1898 Reform (戊戌变法)戊 = wù
- 戊戌变法wù xū biàn fǎthe Hundred Days' Reform of 1898戊 = wù
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 戊 mean?
戊 (wù) means the fifth of the ten Heavenly Stems, used to name years and days in the traditional Chinese sexagenary calendar.
How do you pronounce 戊?
It is pronounced wù.
What parts is 戊 made of?
丿 (left-falling stroke) and 戈 (dagger-axe (ancient pole weapon); Kangxi radical 62). The recorded source is: modern shape decomposition candidate ⿻丿戈, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1: 戊 strokes 1/3/4/5 match 戈 (横·斜钩·撇·点) and stroke 2 is the extra 丿. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 戊 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 戊?
戈. 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 戊?
Common ones are 戊戌 and 戊戌变法. The reading of 戊 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.