wu

Everyday

1. (Mandarin, pinyin) «Wǔ» means «five»: «wǔ» 五. It sounds like «woo» to an English ear. tree →
2. (Mandarin, pinyin) «Wǔ» can also mean «dance» or «noon» (wǔfàn, lunch), and «wú» can mean «not have, none». tree →
3. (a name) Wu is a common Chinese family name. tree →
4. Wu Chinese is a group of Chinese varieties spoken around Shanghai. It is not an English word. tree →

In the lessons

In Mandarin lessons it is learnt early because of counting: yī, èr, sān, sì, wǔ (one to five). Pinyin uses tone marks, so one written «wu» can be several different words. In English you meet it in names and in the martial art «wushu».

Examples

• In Mandarin, «wǔ» means five. tree →
• We counted «yī, èr, sān, sì, wǔ» in our Chinese club. tree →
• «Wǔfàn» means lunch in Mandarin. tree →
• My classmate's surname is Wu. tree →
• In Shanghai some people speak Wu Chinese at home. tree →
• Wu sounds like «woo», but the tone matters. tree →

Note

Not English. Without tone marks «wu» is ambiguous in pinyin: wǔ (five, dance), wú (none), wù (thing, fog, mistake). Do not invent meanings for a person called Wu: it is a name.