猫 meaning and stroke order
Cat (CL:隻|只[zhi1]); (dialect) to hide oneself; (loanword) (coll.) modem
How to write 猫, 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 猫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- cat (CL:隻|只[zhi1])
- (dialect) to hide oneself
- (loanword) (coll.) modem
- used in 貓腰|猫腰[mao2 yao1]
How 猫 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Animal.
犭 gives the meaning and 苗 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犭 (dog), shared by 88 characters on this site.
How to remember 猫
The left side 犭 marks an animal, and the right side 苗 (miáo) gives the sound. Picture a cat hiding among young sprouts 苗, meowing "miao" like its name 猫 (māo).
猫 (māo) is the everyday word for cat, and the measure word is 只 (zhī). It also appears in animal names like 熊猫 (xióngmāo, panda) and 猫头鹰 (māotóuyīng, owl). Example: 我家有一只猫。(Wǒ jiā yǒu yì zhī māo.) My family has a cat.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 笛 or 由 instead of 苗, which is grass 艹 on top of a field 田. Also keep the first tone māo, not máo, except in the special word 猫腰 (máoyāo).
Common words with 猫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大熊猫 | dàxióngmāo | giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) | HSK 5 |
| 小猫 | xiǎomāo | kitten | |
| 猫咪 | māomī | kitty (affectionate term for a cat) | |
| 熊猫 | xióngmāo | panda | |
| 猫头鹰 | māotóuyīng | owl | |
| 野猫 | yěmāo | wildcat; feral cat; stray cat | |
| 狸猫 | límāo | leopard cat; (literary) various small wild mammals (including raccoon dog, civet, wildcat) | |
| 躲猫猫 | duǒmāomāo | hide-and-seek (game); peekaboo (game) | |
| 夜猫子 | yèmāozi | owl; (fig.) night owl |
猫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 猫
How many strokes are in 猫?
猫 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 猫 mean?
猫 (māo) means cat (CL:隻|只[zhi1]); (dialect) to hide oneself; (loanword) (coll.) modem. A common word with it is 大熊猫 (dàxióngmāo), meaning "giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)".
How do you pronounce 猫?
猫 is pronounced māo, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 猫?
The radical of 猫 is 犭, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 猫 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 猫?
The traditional form of 猫 is 貓. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 猫 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 猫 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 猫 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Why is a panda called 熊猫 (xióngmāo), bear-cat?
Chinese simply combines 熊 (xióng, bear) and 猫 (māo, cat) to describe the animal. The full name 大熊猫 (dàxióngmāo) means giant panda, and it is the common everyday term.
How do you say kitty or kitten in Chinese?
小猫 (xiǎomāo) means kitten or little cat. 猫咪 (māomī) is an affectionate word like kitty, often used when talking to or about a pet.