冒 meaning and stroke order
To emit; to give off; to send out (or up, forth); to brave; to face; (bound form) reckless
How to write 冒, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 冒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to emit; to give off; to send out (or up, forth)
- to brave; to face
- (bound form) reckless
- to falsely adopt (sb's identity etc); to feign
- (literary) to cover
- old variant of 冒[mao4]
How 冒 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character.
目 gives the meaning and 冃 hints at the sound.
Radical: 冂 (wide), shared by 13 characters on this site.
How to remember 冒
The top of 冒 comes from 冃, a covering like a hat, and it also gives the sound. Under it sits 目 (mù, eye). Picture a hat pulled low over your eyes as you charge ahead without looking. That is how you brave a risk.
冒 is most often used in compounds. It can mean to risk something, as in 冒险 (màoxiǎn). It can mean to give off or pop up, as in 冒烟 (màoyān) and 冒出来 (màochūlái). It can also mean to pretend, as in 冒充 (màochōng). Example: 我感冒了。(Wǒ gǎnmào le.) I caught a cold.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as 日 with the inner stroke touching both sides. In the standard form the top is closer to 冃, and the short inner horizontal strokes do not join the right side. Also do not confuse 冒 with 帽 (mào, hat). 帽 adds 巾 on the left and is the word for hat in 帽子 (màozi).
Common words with 冒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 感冒 | gǎnmào | to catch cold; (common) cold | HSK 3 |
| 冒险 | màoxiǎn | to take risks; to take chances | HSK 7-9 |
| 冒犯 | màofàn | to offend | HSK 7-9 |
| 冒昧 | màomèi | bold; presumptuous | HSK 7-9 |
| 冒充 | màochōng | to feign; to pretend to be | HSK 7-9 |
| 假冒 | jiǎmào | to impersonate; to pose as (someone else) | HSK 7-9 |
| 冒出来 | màochūlái | to emerge; to pop up; to spring forth; to appear from nowhere | |
| 冒烟 | màoyān | to discharge smoke; to fume with rage | |
| 冒牌 | màopái | fake; impostor | |
| 冒牌货 | màopáihuò | fake goods; imitation | |
| 傻冒 | shǎmào | variant of 傻帽[sha3 mao4] | |
| 冒汗 | màohàn | to sweat | |
| 冒失 | màoshi | rash; impudent | |
| 冒险家 | màoxiǎnjiā | adventurer |
冒 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 冒
Learning 冒 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 冒
How many strokes are in 冒?
冒 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 冒 mean?
冒 (mào) means to emit; to give off; to send out (or up, forth); to brave; to face; (bound form) reckless. A common word with it is 感冒 (gǎnmào), meaning "to catch cold; (common) cold".
How do you pronounce 冒?
冒 is pronounced mào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 冒?
The radical of 冒 is 冂, which carries the idea of "wide". Dictionaries list 冒 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 冒?
The traditional form of 冒 is 冐. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 冒 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 冒 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 冒 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why does 感冒 mean a cold if 冒 means to risk?
In 感冒 (gǎnmào), 冒 carries its sense of something coming out or affecting you. It does not carry the sense of daring. Just learn 感冒 as a fixed word for catching a cold. It is one of the most common words with 冒.
How is 冒昧 used politely?
冒昧 (màomèi) means presumptuous. People use it to soften a request, as in 冒昧问一下 (màomèi wèn yíxià), May I be so bold as to ask. It sounds polite and a little formal.