The character 默 — “be silent”: how to write it and what it means
be silent; silently
The Chinese character 默 is read mò and means “be silent; silently”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 默
默 has 16 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 默, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 默 is made of
On the left, 黑 “black”; on the right, 犬 “dog”. In 幽默 the characters were chosen for their sound: “humor”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 默
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 默?
默 has 16 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 默 mean?
默 means “be silent; silently”. It appears in 幽默 (“humor”), 沉默 (“be silent”), 默默 (“silently”).
How do you pronounce 默?
默 is read mò. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 默 have?
16 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 默 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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