瓦 (wǎ) is a Chinese character meaning “roof tile”. It is written from ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇙ (vertical stroke that flicks up to the right at the bottom) and ㇈ (horizontal stroke bending into a hook) and ㇔ (dot stroke), and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “roof tile”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
㇐ + ㇙ + ㇈ + ㇔
Overlapping structure
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
- ㇙ vertical stroke that flicks up to the right at the bottom unknown
- ㇈ horizontal stroke bending into a hook unknown
- ㇔ dot stroke unknown
Structure from: stroke-level decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 medians (4 strokes); no reliable component IDS available
Memory aid
A flat bar (㇐) tilts across the top like the ridge of a roof; below it a vertical (㇙) drops down the left edge and flicks back up; a long hooked stroke (㇈) swings down and curls to the right the way a curved tile does; and one dot (㇔) is tucked inside.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 瓦片wǎ piànroof tile瓦 = wǎ
- 砖瓦zhuān wǎbricks and tiles; building materials瓦 = wǎ
- 瓦砾wǎ lìrubble; debris瓦 = wǎ
Go deeper
All readings
roof tile
roof tile; earthenware, pottery
用陶土烧制的建筑材料，多铺在屋顶上；也指陶制器物。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 瓦片wǎ piànroof tile瓦 = wǎ
- 砖瓦zhuān wǎbricks and tiles; building materials瓦 = wǎ
- 瓦砾wǎ lìrubble; debris瓦 = wǎ
Rare readings, not taught: wà
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 瓦 mean?
瓦 (wǎ) means roof tile; earthenware, pottery.
How do you pronounce 瓦?
It is pronounced wǎ.
What parts is 瓦 made of?
㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇙ (vertical stroke that flicks up to the right at the bottom) and ㇈ (horizontal stroke bending into a hook) and ㇔ (dot stroke). The recorded source is: stroke-level decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 medians (4 strokes); no reliable component IDS available. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 瓦 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 瓦?
瓦. 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 瓦?
Common ones are 瓦片 and 砖瓦. The reading of 瓦 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.