母 meaning and stroke order
Mother; elderly female relative; origin
How to write 母, stroke by stroke
5 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
Meaning of 母
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- mother
- elderly female relative
- origin
- source
- (of animals) female
How 母 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A mother's breasts.
How to remember 母
母 (mǔ) is an ideograph of a mother: picture a woman's shape with the two dots inside standing for a mother's breasts. Two dots means a mother who can feed her child.
母 (mǔ) rarely stands alone for "mom". It appears in words like 母亲 (mǔqīn, mother), 父母 (fùmǔ, parents) and family titles such as 祖母 (zǔmǔ) and 伯母 (bómǔ). It also marks female animals and the idea of origin, as in 字母 (zìmǔ, letter). Example: 我父母都是老师。(Wǒ fùmǔ dōu shì lǎoshī.) My parents are both teachers.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 母 with 毋 (wú, do not) or 每 (měi, every). 母 has two separate dots inside, 毋 has one vertical stroke through the middle, and 每 adds a top part above 母.
Common words with 母
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 母亲 | mǔqīn | mother | HSK 3 |
| 父母 | fùmǔ | father and mother; parents | HSK 3 |
| 字母 | zìmǔ | letter (of the alphabet) | HSK 4 |
| 祖母 | zǔmǔ | father's mother; paternal grandmother | HSK 6 |
| 母鸡 | mǔjī | hen; don't know (humorous slang mimicking Cantonese 唔知, Jyutping: m4 zi1) | HSK 6 |
| 母女 | mǔnǚ | mother and daughter; mother-daughter | HSK 6 |
| 母子 | mǔzǐ | mother and child; parent and subsidiary (companies) | HSK 6 |
| 伯母 | bómǔ | wife of father's elder brother; aunt | HSK 7-9 |
| 继母 | jìmǔ | stepmother | HSK 7-9 |
| 岳母 | yuèmǔ | wife's mother; mother-in-law | HSK 7-9 |
| 圣母 | Shèngmǔ | goddess | |
| 祖父母 | zǔfùmǔ | paternal grandparents | |
| 航母 | hángmǔ | aircraft carrier (abbr. for 航空母艦|航空母舰[hang2 kong1 mu3 jian4]) | |
| 水母 | shuǐmǔ | jellyfish; medusa |
母 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 母
Learning 母 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 母
How many strokes are in 母?
母 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 母 mean?
母 (mǔ) means mother; elderly female relative; origin. A common word with it is 母亲 (mǔqīn), meaning "mother".
How do you pronounce 母?
母 is pronounced mǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
Is 母 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 母 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.
Should I call my mom 母亲 or 妈妈?
Use 妈妈 (māma) when speaking to or about your own mom in everyday talk. 母亲 (mǔqīn) is more formal and appears in writing, speeches, and polite descriptions.
Why does 母鸡 mean "I don't know" online?
母鸡 (mǔjī) literally means hen. In humorous slang it imitates the sound of Cantonese 唔知 (m4 zi1), which means "don't know", so people type 母鸡 as a playful answer.