猛 meaning and stroke order
Ferocious; fierce; violent
How to write 猛, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 猛
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ferocious
- fierce
- violent
- brave
- suddenly
- abrupt
How 猛 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Dog.
犭 gives the meaning and 孟 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犭 (dog), shared by 88 characters on this site.
How to remember 猛
The animal radical 犭 (a dog or beast) on the left shows the meaning: a fierce animal. The right side 孟 (mèng) gives the sound, so picture a wild dog that lunges at you with a growl of "měng."
猛 describes fierce animals, intense forces like wind or fire, and brave fighters, as in 猛虎 (měnghǔ) and 猛烈 (měngliè). As an adverb it means suddenly or with force, often in 猛然 (měngrán) or before a verb. Example: 他猛地站了起来。 (Tā měng de zhàn le qǐlái.) He suddenly stood up.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 猛 (měng) with 孟 (mèng), its sound component, which is a surname as in 孟子 (Mèngzǐ) and has no animal radical. Remember that 猛 is third tone, while 孟 is fourth tone.
Common words with 猛
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 猛烈 | měngliè | fierce; violent; vigorous; intense | HSK 7-9 |
| 凶猛 | xiōngměng | fierce; violent | HSK 7-9 |
| 猛然 | měngrán | suddenly; abruptly | HSK 7-9 |
| 勇猛 | yǒngměng | bold and powerful; brave and fierce | |
| 猛虎 | měnghǔ | fierce tiger | |
| 猛兽 | měngshòu | ferocious beast; fierce animal | |
| 猛禽 | měngqín | bird of prey | |
| 威猛 | wēiměng | bold and powerful | |
| 猛击 | měngjī | to slap; to smack | |
| 猛料 | měngliào | hot news item; awesome | |
| 迅猛 | xùnměng | quick and violent | |
| 猛攻 | měnggōng | to attack violently; to storm | |
| 猛犸象 | měngmǎxiàng | see 猛獁|猛犸[meng3 ma3] |
猛 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 猛
How many strokes are in 猛?
猛 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 猛 mean?
猛 (měng) means ferocious; fierce; violent. A common word with it is 猛烈 (měngliè), meaning "fierce; violent; vigorous; intense".
How do you pronounce 猛?
猛 is pronounced měng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 猛?
The radical of 猛 is 犭, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 猛 under this radical.
Is 猛 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 猛 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 猛 and 凶?
凶 (xiōng) leans toward cruel, threatening, or bad-tempered, and can describe a person's attitude. 猛 (měng) stresses strength and force, and can be positive, as in 勇猛 (yǒngměng), brave and fierce.
Can 猛 be used in casual modern speech?
Yes. Young people say 很猛 (hěn měng) to mean someone or something is impressive or intense, like a strong player. People also say 吃得很猛 (chī de hěn měng) for eating hard and fast.