五

wǔ

five

我有五个苹果。

I have five apples.

neutral

The cardinal number between four and six.

五个人一起去看电影。

Five people went to watch a movie together.

现在是五点钟。

It's five o'clock now.

Used in counting, time, dates, and ordinal contexts (e.g., '第五' means 'fifth').

Collocations

五月May五星five-star五官five sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body)

Related Phrases

五颜六色idiom

colorful

五花八门idiom

of all kinds, varied

五体投地idiom

to prostrate oneself in admiration (lit. 'to fall to the ground with five limbs')

Pro Tip

Counting and Time

The character 五 is used in counting (e.g., 五个人) and time expressions (e.g., 五点 for 5 o'clock). For ordinal numbers, add 第 before it (e.g., 第五 for 'fifth').

Gold Rule

Numeral Usage

五 is a numeral and is not used as an adjective or verb. It is always placed before a noun or in time-related expressions.

Word Origin

Pictogram of a hand with five fingers, dating back to oracle bone script (甲骨文). The character evolved from a depiction of an open hand to the modern form.

Usage Notes

In Chinese culture, the number five (五) is often associated with the five elements (五行: wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and the five directions (east, west, south, north, center). It is also a common number in traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy.

Word Breakdown

五

five

root

汉英词典