Meaning of 某
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- some
- a certain
- sb or sth indefinite
- such-and-such
How to use 某
某 goes before a noun or measure word to mean "a certain" person, place, or thing when you do not want to or cannot name it. It sounds a bit formal and is common in news, stories, and polite speech. Example: 我在某处见过他。(Wǒ zài mǒuchù jiànguo tā.) I have seen him somewhere.
The character 某 (mǒu) has 甘 (gān, sweet) on top of 木 (mù, tree). Picture a tree with some sweet fruit on it, but you are not saying which tree. It is just a certain one.
Common mistake: Learners often use 某 like the casual English "some" meaning "a few," as in 某苹果. For "some apples" say 一些苹果 (yìxiē píngguǒ), because 某 points to one specific but unnamed thing, not a quantity. Also watch the third tone, mǒu, not mōu.
某 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
某 mǒu · some · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 某.
Questions about 某
What does 某 mean?
某 (mǒu) means "some; a certain" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 某?
某 is made of 1 character: 某 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 某 an HSK word?
Yes. 某 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 某 mean when it comes after a surname, like 王某?
王某 (Wáng mǒu) means "a certain person surnamed Wang." News reports use it to hide someone's full name for privacy. It can also be a humble way to refer to yourself in old-style speech.
What is the difference between 某些 and 一些?
Both can translate as "some," but 某些 (mǒuxiē) means certain particular ones that the speaker is not naming, as in 某些人 (certain people). 一些 (yìxiē) simply means a small amount or a few, with no hint of specific ones.