舞 (wǔ) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

舞

wǔ[wu3]Tone 3

to dance

HSK 3

Guru Deep Dive

English · to dance

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:14

Writing Balance Rule: The character is wide and complex at the top, tapering slightly into the feet at the bottom. Ensure the vertical center axis is maintained so the upper and lower halves do not tilt.

Simplification Logic: The traditional and simplified forms of 舞 are identical.

1. Meaning

to dance

to wieldto brandish

Verb / NounNeutral#arts#movement#action

Sample Usage

我会跳舞。
wǒ huì tiào wǔ.
I can dance.
他手里舞着一把剑。
tā shǒu lǐ wǔ zhe yī bǎ jiàn.
He is brandishing a sword in his hand.

2. Sound

/[wu³⁵]/Tone: 35

舞

wǔwu3

ˇ(214)

=wǔ

Initial Consonant

Type: Labio-Velar Glide (Zero Initial)

Sounds like: w

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Round lips tightly before gliding into vowel.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Round lips and raise back of tongue toward soft palate, gliding into vowel.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -u vowel group

Sounds like: u rhymes with the 'oo' sound in 'boot'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oo'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts at a mid pitch and rises sharply to the top, exactly like asking 'Huh?' in disbelief.

👂

Listening trap: Learners often mistake Tone 2 (wǔ) for Tone 3 (wǔ / ǔ) because of similar pitch ranges, but Tone 2 rises continuously without dipping first.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 2 rises like a questioning upward inflection in English, e.g., 'What?'. Gesture by sweeping your hand upwards from low-left to high-right.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 14 strokes

Simplification Logic: The traditional and simplified forms of 舞 are identical.

4. Components

Radical 夕 · evening radical (evening, sunset)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 舛 (represents foot movement or stepping contrary to each other)

A person holding ox tails or decorative plumes (represented by the upper brush strokes) while stepping and spinning their feet (舛) as dusk falls (夕) during a ritual dance.

夕 evening/time marker
舛 stepping feet / opposite directions

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: In Oracle Bone scripts, 舞 depicted a person holding ox tails in both hands while dancing. Over time, the depiction stylized into the modern top elements paired with foot movements.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred strictly to ritual dances involving holding props; expanded to modern dancing, choreography, and figuratively to wielding weapons or brandishing authority.

Ancient Chinese dances often doubled as military drills or shamanistic rituals to invoke rain or appease spirits.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ブ / Kun: まう / まい

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

무

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a dancer performing in the **evening** (夕) while **stepping** (舛) gracefully across the stage, holding props high as they **dance** (wǔ).

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

无(wú)

无 means 'none/nothing' and has far fewer strokes without the complex foot and dance elements of 舞.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

她从小就喜欢学跳[___]。

Clue: wǔ

Common Learner Pitfall

Forgetting the precise stroke order at the bottom and crowding the feet components together, making it look like an illegible smudge.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 舞, what action does it represent and what is its Pinyin?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to dance' (wǔ) from memory?

舞wǔto dance

Speed:

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