Chinese word

五

Pronunciation

Pinyinwǔ

Meaning

  • numberfive

Example

他给了我五块钱。tā gěi le wǒ wǔ kuài qián

He gave me five yuan.

Illustration for 五 (five)

More examples

班里有五个人。bān lǐ yǒu wǔ gè rén

There are five people in the class.

Core concept

A count that brings a group to five units.

Common phrases

  • 五块钱wǔ kuài qián

    five yuan

  • 五个人wǔ gè rén

    five people

  • 五岁wǔ suì

    five years old

  • 五点钟wú diǎn zhōng

    five o'clock

  • 五年wǔ nián

    five years

Similar words

四sì: A numeral showing a total of four, used alone or with a measure word to count things.
六liù: A numeral showing a total of six, used alone or with a measure word to count things.
十shí: A numeral showing a total of ten, used alone or with a measure word to count things.

Definition in Chinese

表示基数五的数词，用来计数或表示数量，可单独使用，也常与量词连用表示具体事物的数量。biǎo shì jī shù wǔ de shù cí yòng lái jì shù huò biǎo shì shù liàng kě dān dú shǐ yòng yě cháng yǔ liàng cí lián yòng biǎo shì jù tǐ shì wù de shù liàng

Word origin

The modern character 五 (wǔ, "five") developed from early Chinese numeral forms and kept the same counting value as its written shape changed.

Usage tips

  • The third tone in wǔ usually starts low, dips, and rises, so its pitch pattern helps identify this short number in speech.

Related words

  • 第五dì wǔfifthordinal number
  • 五十wǔ shífiftynumber

Word lists with this word