为

為
wèi
HSK 3
#18 most
frequent character
because of, for, to
preposition

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

为 is a shortened form of 為, which showed a hand leading an elephant at work, so it first meant 'to do'. Read wéi, it grew to 'make' and 'govern'. Read wèi, it means 'for' or 'shall'.

Drawn as: hand guiding elephant; elephant doing labor

为 as a component in other characters

sound2 characters
伪沩

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Example Sentences

我因为下雨而没有出去。
wǒ yīnwèi xiàyǔ ér méiyǒu chūqù 。
I didn't go out because of the rain.
她为我准备了一个惊喜。
tā wéiwǒ zhǔnbèi le yígè jīngxǐ 。
She prepared a surprise for me.
我为他的成功感到高兴。
wǒ wéi tāde chénggōng gǎndào gāoxìng 。
I feel happy for his success.

Grammar Points

HSK 4
Explaining purpose with "wei... er..."为…而
HSK 5
Expressing "for" with "wei"
HSK 5
Comparing "gei" and "wei"
HSK 3
Expressing purpose with "weile"

Same Characters, Different Readings

为wéi
(preposition)
为wéi
(preposition)

Homophones

HSK 3
位wèi
position, location, place, seat
HSK 5
胃wèi
stomach
HSK 5
畏wèi
to fear
慰wèi
to comfort, to console, to reassure
魏wèi
tower over a palace gateway (old)

Words Starting With 为

为什么wèi shén me
why?; for what reason?
为了wèi le
in order to; for the purpose of; so as to

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Public Lists with 为

HSK 3
All words for the HSK 3 test