noun / adjective HSK 5
Traditional 烏
crow · black · dark
Meaning
乌 originally refers to a crow or raven, a black bird. By extension, it came to mean 'black' or 'dark' in color. It appears frequently in compound words related to darkness or the color black.
Usage
乌 is primarily used in compound words rather than alone in modern Mandarin. Common in literary or poetic contexts. When referring to actual crows, 乌鸦 (wūyā) is the standard term. As a color descriptor, it typically combines with other characters like 乌黑 (wūhēi, jet black).
Examples
- 01天空中乌云密布，看来要下雨了。, .Dark clouds are gathering in the sky; it looks like it's going to rain.
- 02她有一头乌黑亮丽的长发。.She has long, jet-black, shiny hair.
Common collocations
- 乌黑发亮jet black and shiny
- 乌云密布dark clouds gathering
- 乌龟turtle; tortoise
Antonyms
Origin
The traditional form 烏 is a pictograph of a black bird (crow). The simplified form 乌 removes the internal dot that distinguished it from 鸟 (bird).