犸 meaning and stroke order
Mammoth
How to write 犸, stroke by stroke
6 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
Meaning of 犸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 猛獁|猛犸[meng3 ma3]
- Taiwan pr. [ma4]
How 犸 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Animal.
犭 gives the meaning and 马 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犭 (dog), shared by 88 characters on this site.
How to remember 犸
犸 combines the animal radical 犭 with 马 (mǎ, horse), which gives the sound. Picture a huge hairy animal as big as a horse, and you have the mammoth.
犸 almost never appears alone. It is used in 猛犸 (měngmǎ) or 猛犸象 (měngmǎxiàng), the word for the extinct woolly mammoth. Example: 猛犸象已经灭绝了。(Měngmǎxiàng yǐjīng mièjué le.) The mammoth is already extinct.
Common mistake: Learners often write 马 or 吗 instead of 犸 because they sound alike. Keep the animal radical 犭 on the left. Also note the tone: mainland Mandarin says mǎ (third tone), while Taiwan says mà (fourth tone).
Common words with 犸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 猛犸象 | měngmǎxiàng | see 猛獁|猛犸[meng3 ma3] |
Questions about 犸
How many strokes are in 犸?
犸 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 犸 mean?
犸 (mà) means mammoth. A common word with it is 猛犸象 (měngmǎxiàng), meaning "see 猛獁|猛犸[meng3 ma3]".
How do you pronounce 犸?
犸 is pronounced mà, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 犸?
The radical of 犸 is 犭, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 犸 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 犸?
The traditional form of 犸 is 獁. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 犸 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 犸 pronounced mǎ or mà?
In mainland standard Mandarin it is mǎ, as in 猛犸 (měngmǎ). In Taiwan it is commonly pronounced mà. Both refer to the same character.
Why is a mammoth called 猛犸象 in Chinese?
猛犸 (měngmǎ) imitates the sound of the word mammoth, and 象 (xiàng) means elephant. So the full word means roughly mammoth elephant, which fits the animal's elephant-like body.