牛 meaning and stroke order
Ox; cow; bull
How to write 牛, stroke by stroke
4 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
Meaning of 牛
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ox
- cow
- bull
- newton (abbr. for 牛頓|牛顿[niu2 dun4])
- (slang) awesome
How 牛 is built
Pictographic character. An ox's horned head.
How to remember 牛
牛 (niú) is a picture of an ox's horned head. The short stroke at the top left and the horizontal lines suggest the horns, and the long vertical line runs down the middle of the face.
牛 is the general word for cattle, and it appears in many food and clothing words like 牛肉 (niúròu, beef), 牛奶 (niúnǎi, milk), and 牛仔裤 (niúzǎikù, jeans). In casual speech, 牛 also means awesome or impressive. Example: 你太牛了。(Nǐ tài niú le.) You are amazing.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 牛 with 午 (wǔ, noon), which looks almost the same. The difference is that the vertical stroke in 牛 goes through the top horizontal line, while in 午 it stops at that line.
Common words with 牛
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 牛奶 | niúnǎi | cow's milk | HSK 1 |
| 牛仔裤 | niúzǎikù | jeans | HSK 5 |
| 奶牛 | nǎiniú | milk cow; dairy cow | HSK 6 |
| 吹牛 | chuīniú | to talk big; to brag; to shoot off one's mouth; (dialect) to chat idly | HSK 7-9 |
| 牛仔 | niúzǎi | cowboy | |
| 牛排 | niúpái | steak | |
| 牛肉 | niúròu | beef | |
| 公牛 | gōngniú | bull | |
| 水牛 | shuǐniú | water buffalo | |
| 蜗牛 | wōniú | snail; Taiwan pr. [gua1 niu2] | |
| 牛顿 | Niúdùn | newton (SI unit of force) | |
| 犀牛 | xīniú | rhinoceros | |
| 野牛 | yěniú | bison | |
| 小牛 | xiǎoniú | calf; (coll.) lower-priced model of Lamborghini |
牛 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 牛
Learning 牛 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 牛
How many strokes are in 牛?
牛 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 牛 mean?
牛 (niú) means ox; cow; bull. A common word with it is 牛奶 (niúnǎi), meaning "cow's milk".
How do you pronounce 牛?
牛 is pronounced niú, in the second tone (rising).
Is 牛 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 牛 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Does 吹牛 mean to blow on a cow?
No. 吹牛 (chuīniú) is an idiom meaning to brag or talk big. For example, 他又在吹牛。(Tā yòu zài chuīniú.) means He is bragging again.
How do I say bull or dairy cow specifically?
Add a word in front of 牛. 公牛 (gōngniú) is a bull, and 奶牛 (nǎiniú) is a dairy cow. On its own, 牛 can mean any of these animals.