The character 猫 — “cat”: how to write it and what it means
cat
The Chinese character 猫 is read māo and means “cat”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 猫
猫 has 11 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 猫, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 猫 is made of
On the left, 犭 “animal”; on the right, 苗 miáo hints at the sound.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 猫
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 猫?
猫 has 11 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 猫 mean?
猫 means “cat”. It appears in 大熊猫 (“giant panda”).
How do you pronounce 猫?
猫 is read māo. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 猫 have?
11 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 猫 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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