武 (wǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “martial”. It is written from 一 (one) and 弋 (corded arrow; to shoot with a retrievable arrow) and 止 (stop), and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “martial; military”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
一 + 弋 + 止
Overlapping structure
- 一 one · yī unknown
- 弋 corded arrow; to shoot with a retrievable arrow · yì unknown
- 止 stop · zhǐ meaning
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0 为「一」；笔画 1、6、7 为「弋」的横、斜钩、点；笔画 2–5 与「止」逐笔对应）
Memory aid
A foot that stops (止) planted under the long shaft of an arrow (弋), with one flat line (一) laid across the top: weapons held down, not swung. That is what 武 asks you to picture.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 武术wǔ shùmartial arts武 = wǔ
- 武力wǔ lìmilitary force; armed force武 = wǔ
- 武侠wǔ xiámartial-arts chivalry (the genre of fiction and film about wandering heroes)武 = wǔ
Go deeper
All readings
martial; military
martial; military; relating to fighting skill or armed force
与军事、技击有关的；勇猛的。与「文」相对。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 武术wǔ shùmartial arts武 = wǔ
- 武力wǔ lìmilitary force; armed force武 = wǔ
- 武侠wǔ xiámartial-arts chivalry (the genre of fiction and film about wandering heroes)武 = wǔ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 武 mean?
武 (wǔ) means martial; military; relating to fighting skill or armed force.
How do you pronounce 武?
It is pronounced wǔ.
What parts is 武 made of?
一 (one) and 弋 (corded arrow; to shoot with a retrievable arrow) and 止 (stop). The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0 为「一」；笔画 1、6、7 为「弋」的横、斜钩、点；笔画 2–5 与「止」逐笔对应）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 武 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 武?
止. 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 武?
Common ones are 武术 and 武力. The reading of 武 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.