麦 meaning and stroke order
Wheat, barley, oats
How to write 麦, stroke by stroke
7 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 麦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- wheat; barley; oats
- mic (abbr. for 麥克風|麦克风[mai4 ke4 feng1])
How 麦 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Simplified form of 麦; grains 來 ready to be harvested 夂.
How to remember 麦
The top part 龶 looks like a stalk of grain standing tall, and the bottom 夂 suggests feet walking through the field at harvest time. Picture farmers walking under ripe grain to remember 麦 (mài), wheat.
麦 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It usually appears in words like 小麦 (xiǎomài, wheat), 燕麦 (yànmài, oats) and 麦克风 (màikèfēng, microphone). Example: 我早上吃麦片。(Wǒ zǎoshang chī màipiàn.) I eat oatmeal in the morning.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 麦 with 麥's neighbor 素 (sù) or with 青 (qīng), since all share the 龶 top. Check the bottom: 麦 has 夂, not 月 or 糸.
Common words with 麦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
麦 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 麦
How many strokes are in 麦?
麦 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 麦 mean?
麦 (mài) means wheat, barley, oats. A common word with it is 小麦 (xiǎomài), meaning "wheat".
How do you pronounce 麦?
麦 is pronounced mài, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the traditional form of 麦?
The traditional form of 麦 is 麥. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 麦 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 麦 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 麦 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why is 麦 used in the word for microphone?
麦克风 (màikèfēng) is a sound loan for the English word microphone, and 麦 was chosen for its sound mài. In casual speech people shorten it to 麦, as in 给我麦 (gěi wǒ mài), pass me the mic.
What is the difference between 小麦 and 大麦?
小麦 (xiǎomài) means wheat, used for flour and noodles. 大麦 (dàmài) means barley, often used for tea or malt. 燕麦 (yànmài) is oats.