What does 万 mean in Chinese?

万 (wàn) means "ten thousand" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 2.

How do you write 万?

万 is written with 3 strokes, starting from the 一 (one) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 万?

The radical of 万 is 一 (one, Kangxi radical #1). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 不, 一, 东, 下.

How many strokes does 万 have?

The Chinese character 万 has 3 strokes.

What HSK level is 万?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 万 is a character to recognise at HSK 2.

万 (wàn): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

万

wàn

ten thousand

HSK 2 character 3 strokes Radical: 一 (one)

Quick Answer

万 (wàn) means "ten thousand" with 3 strokes, radical 一 (one), HSK 2 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 万 →Animated stroke-order for 万 →

Pronunciation

wàn

Meaning

Primary: ten thousand

Etymology

A scorpion with many legs — ten thousand

Mnemonic hooks the visual decomposition to a memorable image. The full oracle-bone to modern evolution is being added character-by-character via the Phase 13 etymology pass.

Basic info

Pinyin	wàn
Meanings	ten thousand
Stroke count	3 strokes
Radical	一 (#1: one)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 2
Frequency	#798 most common

Example sentences

这里有一万人。
Zhèlǐ yǒu yī wàn rén.
There are ten thousand people here.
From 万 (HSK 2)
你千万小心。
Nǐ qiānwàn xiǎoxīn.
You must be careful.
From 千万 (HSK 4)
万一下雨，我们就不去了。
Wànyī xiàyǔ, wǒmen jiu búqù le.
In case it rains, we won't go.
From 万一 (HSK 5)

Words containing 万

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
万	wàn	ten thousand	HSK 2
千万	qiānwàn	Must	HSK 4
万一	wànyī	In case	HSK 5

Related characters

Don't confuse with

方

万 (wàn) ≠ 方 (fāng), direction

力

万 (wàn) ≠ 力

Share the 一 (one) radical

不bù 一yī 东dōng 下xià 上shàng 世两liǎng

See all characters with the 一 radical →

Similar meaning (number)

一one 半half 四four 百hundred 千thousand 两two

On the new HSK 2 exam

Studying for HSK 2? Keep 万 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

Start studying free The words new HSK 2 adds

Frequently Asked Questions

Appears in these articles

Chinese Numbers 1-100: Complete Guide with Pronunciation

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.

万

wàn