穆 meaning and stroke order
Majestic; reverent, solemn
How to write 穆, stroke by stroke
16 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 穆
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- solemn
- reverent
- calm
- burial position in an ancestral tomb (old)
- old variant of 默
How 穆 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Grain.
禾 gives the meaning and 㣎 hints at the sound.
Radical: 禾 (cereal), shared by 66 characters on this site.
How to remember 穆
On the left is 禾 (hé), a stalk of grain, and on the right is 㣎, which gives the sound mù. Picture a quiet, solemn field of ripe grain bowing its heads, and you have the calm, reverent feeling of 穆.
In modern Chinese 穆 mostly appears in set words and names rather than on its own. It is best known in transliterations like 穆斯林 (mùsīlín, Muslim) and in formal words such as 肃穆 (sùmù, solemn and quiet). Example: 会场气氛很肃穆。(Huìchǎng qìfēn hěn sùmù.) The atmosphere in the hall was very solemn.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 穆 with 移 (yí, to move) or 稼 (jià, crops), since they share the 禾 side. Check the right side: 穆 has the complex 㣎 with three slanting strokes at the bottom.
Common words with 穆
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 穆斯林 | mùsīlín | Muslim | HSK 7-9 |
穆 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 穆
How many strokes are in 穆?
穆 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 穆 mean?
穆 (mù) means majestic; reverent, solemn. A common word with it is 穆斯林 (mùsīlín), meaning "Muslim".
How do you pronounce 穆?
穆 is pronounced mù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 穆?
The radical of 穆 is 禾, which carries the idea of "cereal". Dictionaries list 穆 under this radical.
Is 穆 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 穆 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 穆 a common Chinese surname?
Yes, 穆 (Mù) is a Chinese surname. It is not among the most common ones, but you will see it in names, and it is used for some historical and fictional figures.
How is 穆 different from 默 (mò)?
In old texts 穆 could be used as a variant of 默, meaning silent. In modern Chinese they are separate: use 默 for silence, as in 沉默 (chénmò), and 穆 for solemnity, as in 肃穆 (sùmù).