伍 wǔ five
five; company of five; troops
How to remember 伍: 亻 person + 五 five = five. Each person in the street band wears a shirt with a big five on it, and the crowd cheers for the five.
Component breakdown
伍 = 亻 person + 五 five
- 亻 person
- 五 five
Each person in the street band wears a shirt with a big five on it, and the crowd cheers for the five.
How it is used
- Its main use is as the formal financial character for "five", written on checks, contracts, and receipts in place of plain 五 to prevent tampering - like writing "FIVE" out in words.
- 队伍 (duìwu) means ranks, troops, or an organized procession/team, the other common compound.