五 (wǔ) — five

HSK 1 | number | the digit five

五 (wǔ)

The number five; in Chinese culture, 五 is associated with the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and is generally considered a neutral or positive number.

Meanings

  1. [number] Five, the digit 5.

Example Sentences

我每天睡八个小时,工作五个小时。 Wǒ měitiān shuì bā gè xiǎoshí, gōngzuò wǔ gè xiǎoshí. I sleep eight hours and work five hours every day.

五月是我最喜欢的月份。 Wǔ yuè shì wǒ zuì xǐhuan de yuèfèn. May is my favorite month.

他们住在五楼。 Tāmen zhù zài wǔ lóu. They live on the fifth floor.

再等五分钟就好了。 Zài děng wǔ fēnzhōng jiù hǎo le. Wait five more minutes and it will be ready.

Collocations

Collocation Meaning
五个 (wǔ gè) five (general)
五月 (Wǔ yuè) May
五十 (wǔshí) fifty
五点 (wǔ diǎn) five o'clock
第五 (dì wǔ) fifth (ordinal)
五星级 (wǔ xīngjí) five-star

Memory Hook

五 looks like a hand with fingers spread open, and a hand has five fingers. The top and bottom strokes are like the top and bottom of a fist, with a squiggle in the middle for the fingers.