五 wǔ five

源How it came to be

An X, drawn between two flat lines. Four was written as four strokes and could not be counted at a glance, so five got a crossing instead: a tally mark, not a picture.

用How it is used

• Five - 五个 (wǔ ge) five of, 五月 (wǔyuè) May.
• Pairs with 三 / 六 in set phrases: 三番五次 (sānfān-wǔcì) over and over, 五颜六色 (wǔyán-liùsè) multicolored.

字Characters built with 五

• 伍 five

词Words with 五

• 五颜六色wǔyán-liùsèmulticoloredHSK 5
• 五花八门wǔhuā-bāménmyriadHSK 7
• 三番五次sānfān-wǔcìover and over again (idiom)HSK 8
• 五官wǔguānfive sense organs of TCMHSK 8
• 五湖四海wǔhú-sìhǎiall parts of the countryHSK 8

句Example sentences

• 已经五点了。 Yǐjing wǔ diǎn le.It's already five o'clock.
• 我念小学五年级。 Wǒ niàn xiǎoxué wǔ niánjí.I'm in the fifth grade in elementary school.