The character 母 — “mother”: how to write it and what it means
mother
The Chinese character 母 is read mǔ and means “mother”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 母
母 has 5 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 母, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 母 is made of
Originally a drawing of a woman with breasts: the two dots inside. The same sign appears in 每 and 海.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 母
- 母亲motherHSK 4
- 父母parentsHSK 4
- 母子mother and sonHSK 4
- 母女mother and daughterHSK 4
- 字母letter (of the alphabet)HSK 5
- 母语native languageHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 母?
母 has 5 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 母 mean?
母 means “mother”. It appears in 母亲 (“mother”), 父母 (“parents”), 母子 (“mother and son”), 母女 (“mother and daughter”).
How do you pronounce 母?
母 is read mǔ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 母 have?
5 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 母 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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