Meaning of 每
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- each
- every
How to use 每
每 usually comes before a measure word or a time word, as in 每个 (měige) or 每天 (měitiān). It is often paired with 都 (dōu) later in the sentence to stress "all, without exception." Example: 我每天都喝茶。(Wǒ měitiān dōu hē chá.) I drink tea every day.
The top of 每 (měi) looks like a little hat sitting on 母 (mǔ, mother). Picture every mother wearing the same hat, so each and every one looks alike.
Common mistake: Learners often write 每 like 母 and forget the short stroke and horizontal line on top, or they confuse it with 海 (hǎi, sea), which adds the water radical on the left. Another common slip is leaving out the measure word, saying 每人 is fine but 每书 is wrong; you need 每本书 (měi běn shū).
每 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.
每 měi · each · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 每.
| 每当 | měidāng | whenever; every time |
| 每逢 | měiféng | every time; on each occasion |
| 每个 | měige | each; every |
| 每天 | měitiān | every day |
| 每次 | měicì | each time; every time |
| 每年 | měinián | every year; each year |
| 每周 | měizhōu | every week |
| 每人 | měirén | each person; everybody |
| 每日 | měirì | daily; (soup etc) of the day |
| 每月 | měiyuè | each month |
| 每隔 | měigé | at intervals of; every (so often) |
| 每时每刻 | měishíměikè | at all times; at every moment |
Questions about 每
What does 每 mean?
每 (měi) means "each; every" and is used as a pronoun and adverb.
How do you write 每?
每 is made of 1 character: 每 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 每 an HSK word?
Yes. 每 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Do I always need 都 after 每?
Not always, but it is very common and sounds natural, as in 每个人都知道 (měi ge rén dōu zhīdào), everyone knows. Without 都 the sentence can feel incomplete in many everyday cases.
What is the difference between 每次 and 每当?
每次 (měicì) simply means each time and is common in speech. 每当 (měidāng) means whenever and introduces a situation, often followed by 的时候, as in 每当下雨的时候 (měidāng xià yǔ de shíhou), whenever it rains. It sounds a bit more written.