Meaning of 毛
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- hair
- feather
- down
- wool
- mildew
- mold
- coarse or semifinished
- young
- surname Mao
How to use 毛
毛 covers hair, fur, feathers and wool, and appears in many everyday words like 毛巾 (máojīn) towel, 毛衣 (máoyī) sweater and 眉毛 (méimao) eyebrow. As a measure word it means one tenth of a yuan in spoken Chinese, the same as 角 (jiǎo). Example: 这个五毛钱。(Zhège wǔ máo qián.) This one costs fifty cents.
毛 (máo) looks like a single tuft of hair or a feather: the curved hook at the bottom is the shaft, and the short strokes crossing it are the strands sticking out. Picture one hair from an animal's coat.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 毛 with 手 (shǒu, hand), which looks similar but has its bottom stroke going straight down with a hook to the left, while the last stroke of 毛 curves to the right. Also note that in 眉毛 (méimao) the 毛 is said in the neutral tone.
毛 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.
毛 máo · hair · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 毛.
| 毛病 | máobìng | fault; defect |
| 毛巾 | máojīn | towel |
| 毛衣 | máoyī | (wool) sweater |
| 羽毛球 | yǔmáoqiú | badminton; shuttlecock |
| 毛笔 | máobǐ | writing brush |
| 眉毛 | méimao | eyebrow |
| 出毛病 | chū máobìng | a problem appears; to break down |
| 一毛不拔 | yīmáo-bùbá | (lit.) unwilling to spare a single hair (idiom); (fig.) extremely stingy |
| 羽毛 | yǔmáo | feather; plumage |
| 毛骨悚然 | máogǔsǒngrán | to have one's hair stand on end (idiom); to feel one's blood run cold |
| 毛利 | máolì | gross profit |
| 毛发 | máofà | hair |
Questions about 毛
What does 毛 mean?
毛 (máo) means "hair; feather" and is used as a measure word and noun.
How do you write 毛?
毛 is made of 1 character: 毛 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 毛 an HSK word?
Yes. 毛 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 毛 used for the hair on your head?
Usually not. Hair on the head is 头发 (tóufa). 毛 is used for body hair, animal fur, feathers, and in compounds like 眉毛 (méimao) eyebrow.
Why does 毛病 mean a fault or problem?
毛病 (máobìng) is a fixed word for a defect, a bad habit, or a minor illness. You can say 我的电脑有毛病。(Wǒ de diànnǎo yǒu máobìng.) My computer has a problem.