貌 meaning and stroke order
Countenance, appearance
How to write 貌, stroke by stroke
14 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 貌
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) appearance; looks; outward form
How 貌 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A beast's 豸 appearance 皃; 皃 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 豸 (badger), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 貌
On the left is 豸, a crouching beast, and on the right is 皃, which means appearance and also gives the sound mào. Picture a beast showing off its looks, and you have 貌, appearance.
貌 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words like 外貌 (wàimào, appearance), 相貌 (xiàngmào, looks), and the very common 礼貌 (lǐmào, polite). Example: 他很有礼貌。(Tā hěn yǒu lǐmào.) He is very polite.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 兒 or 儿 alone and forget the 白 on top of 皃. Also, 礼貌 means politeness, not good looks, so do not use it to praise someone's face.
Common words with 貌
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 礼貌 | lǐmào | courtesy; politeness; manners; courteous; polite | HSK 5 |
| 面貌 | miànmào | face; features; appearance; look | HSK 5 |
| 外貌 | wàimào | profile; appearance | HSK 7-9 |
| 风貌 | fēngmào | style; manner | HSK 7-9 |
| 貌似 | màosì | to appear to be; to seem as if | |
| 美貌 | měimào | good looks; beauty | |
| 容貌 | róngmào | one's appearance; one's aspect | |
| 相貌 | xiàngmào | facial features; looks | |
| 样貌 | yàngmào | appearance; manifestation |
貌 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 貌
Learning 貌 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 貌
How many strokes are in 貌?
貌 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 貌 mean?
貌 (mào) means countenance, appearance. A common word with it is 礼貌 (lǐmào), meaning "courtesy; politeness; manners; courteous; polite".
How do you pronounce 貌?
貌 is pronounced mào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 貌?
The radical of 貌 is 豸, which carries the idea of "badger". Dictionaries list 貌 under this radical.
Is 貌 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 貌 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 貌似 mean in casual Chinese?
貌似 (màosì) means it seems or apparently. Online and in speech it is often used like seemingly, for example 貌似要下雨了 (màosì yào xià yǔ le), it looks like it's going to rain.
What is the difference between 外貌, 相貌 and 容貌?
外貌 (wàimào) is general outward appearance, including build and clothing. 相貌 (xiàngmào) focuses on facial features, and 容貌 (róngmào) is a more literary word for one's looks, often a woman's.