芒 meaning and stroke order
Blade; ray; silvergrass, Miscanthus sinensis
How to write 芒, 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 芒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- awn (of cereals)
- arista (of grain)
- tip (of a blade)
- Miscanthus sinensis (type of grass)
- variant of 邙, Mt Mang at Luoyang in Henan
How 芒 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Grass.
艹 gives the meaning and 亡 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 芒
The grass radical 艹 on top tells you this is a plant, and 亡 (wáng) underneath gives the sound. Picture the sharp, thin bristles on grass and grain heads, like tiny blades or rays poking out.
芒 rarely appears alone in modern speech. It lives inside words like 芒果 (mángguǒ, mango) and 光芒 (guāngmáng, rays of light). Example: 太阳的光芒很强。(Tàiyáng de guāngmáng hěn qiáng.) The sun's rays are very strong.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 芒 with 忙 (máng, busy), which has the same sound and the same 亡 part but uses the heart radical 忄 on the left. Remember that the fruit 芒果 takes the grass radical because it is a plant.
Common words with 芒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
芒 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 芒
Learning 芒 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 芒
How many strokes are in 芒?
芒 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 芒 mean?
芒 (máng) means blade; ray; silvergrass, Miscanthus sinensis. A common word with it is 光芒 (guāngmáng), meaning "rays of light; brilliant rays".
How do you pronounce 芒?
芒 is pronounced máng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 芒?
The radical of 芒 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 芒 under this radical.
Is 芒 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 芒 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is mango written 芒果 in Chinese?
芒果 is a loanword. 芒 was chosen mainly for its sound, close to the start of 'mango', and 果 means fruit. Its grass radical also fits a plant word.
What does 锋芒 mean?
锋芒 (fēngmáng) means the sharp point of a blade, and figuratively someone's sharpness or talent on display. The phrase 锋芒毕露 (fēngmáng bì lù) describes a person who shows off their abilities too openly.