How to write 喂 (wèi, “hey”)
喂, an HSK 1 character, is read wèi for “hey” and “to feed”, and also wéi (“hello”). It is HSK 1 in the 2025 syllabus, down from level 2 in the 2021 standard. As a left-right character it splits into 口 (“mouth”, the radical), strokes 1–3; 畏 (“to fear”), strokes 4–12, written the left part first. With 12 strokes it is one of the longest to write at HSK 1. On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 喂养 (“to feed”), 喂奶 (“to breast-feed”) and 喂料 (“to feed (also fig.)”). Japanese reads it i, “interjection”.
- Pinyin
- wèi, wéi
- Strokes
- 12
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 口 (“mouth”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- top leftdownwards
- top leftrightwards → downwards
- leftrightwards
- topdownwards
- toprightwards → downwards
- toprightwards
- topdownwards
- centerrightwards
- leftrightwards
- centerdownwards → up and right
- rightdownwards → down and left
- centerdown and right
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| wèi fourth tone | hey; to feed (an animal, baby, invalid etc) | — | 喂养 喂奶 喂料 喂食 |
| wéi second tone | hello (when answering the phone) | — | — |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 2
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 1 word
- Words with it
- 11 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 喂
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 喂 | wèi | hey; to feed (an animal, baby, invalid etc) HSK 1 |
| 喂养 餵養 | wèiyǎng | to feed (a child, domestic animal etc); to keep HSK 7-9 |
| 喂奶 餵奶 | wèinǎi | to breast-feed |
| 喂料 餵料 | wèiliào | to feed (also fig.) |
| 喂食 餵食 | wèishí | to feed |
| 投喂 投餵 | tóuwèi | to feed (an animal) |
| 良心喂狗 | liángxīnwèigǒu | to have fed one's conscience to the dogs (idiom); devoid of conscience |
| 喂哺 餵哺 | wèibǔ | to feed (a baby) |
| 饲喂 飼餵 | sìwèi | to feed (an animal) |
| 喂母乳 餵母乳 | wèimǔrǔ | breastfeeding |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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