The character 么 — “part of “what””: how to write it and what it means
part of “what”
The Chinese character 么 is read me and means “part of “what””. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 么
么 has 3 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 么, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 么 is made of
A suffix with no meaning of its own, read with the neutral tone.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 么
- 什么what, whichHSK 1
- 怎么howHSK 1
- 怎么样how (is it)HSK 1
- 这么so, this (much)HSK 2
- 那么so, that (much)HSK 2
- 为什么whyHSK 2
- 怎么办what to do?HSK 3
- 多么how (exclamation)HSK 4
- 要么either… orHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 么?
么 has 3 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 么 mean?
么 means “part of “what””. It appears in 什么 (“what”), 怎么 (“how”), 怎么样 (“how”), 这么 (“so”).
How do you pronounce 么?
么 is read me. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 么 have?
3 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 么 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.
Start for free