How to write 文 (wén, “language”)
文 (wén), an HSK 1 character, means “language”, “culture” and “writing”. Make Me a Hanzi uses it in 25 other characters, such as 这 (“this”). On its own it is an HSK 7-9 word; it also forms 中文 (“Chinese language”), 课文 (“text”) and 文化 (“culture”). Japanese reads it bun, “sentence”, as a JLPT N4 kanji.
- Pinyin
- wén
- Strokes
- 4
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 文 (“language”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
As a top-bottom character it splits into 亠 (“lid”), strokes 1–2; 乂 (“to regulate”), strokes 3–4, written the top first.
- Vertical ㇑topdown and right
- Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
- Left-falling stroke ㇒topdown and left → leftwards
- Right-falling stroke ㇏leftdown and right
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 4 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
文 inside other characters
Make Me a Hanzi count: 25 characters.
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| wén second tone | language; culture; writing; formal; literary | — | 中文 课文 文化 作文 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 3 word
- Words with it
- 334 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 文
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 文 | wén | language; culture HSK 7-9 |
| 中文 | Zhōngwén | Chinese language HSK 1 |
| 课文 課文 | kèwén | text HSK 3 |
| 文化 | wénhuà | culture; civilization HSK 3 |
| 作文 | zuòwén | to write an essay; composition (student essay) HSK 4 |
| 文件 | wénjiàn | document; file HSK 4 |
| 文字 | wénzì | character; script HSK 4 |
| 文章 | wénzhāng | article; essay HSK 4 |
| 文学 文學 | wénxué | literature HSK 5 |
| 语文 語文 | yǔwén | literature and language; (PRC) Chinese HSK 5 |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Contain it:
HSK 1, in list order: