How to Write 牯 (gǔ) — Meaning “Bull / Ox”

Picture a strong bull with an ancient (古) horn on its head. The left side 牛 reminds you it's an ox, and the right side 古 sounds like 'goo' — imagine the bull saying "goo" as it moves. This playful image links the sound and meaning together.

Write 牛 on the left with the vertical stroke slanting slightly outward, then the right part 古 with five strokes: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical, horizontal. A common mistake is making the left side too wide — keep 牯 balanced, with the right side slightly taller than the left. The total is 9 strokes.

牯 specifically means 'bull' or 'ox' (a male bovine), while 牡 (mǔ) is a general character for 'male animal' (e.g., 牡马 'stallion'). 牠 (tā) is a variant of 它 meaning 'it' for animals — it has a different right side (也) and is not related to bulls. Visually, 牯 has 古 on the right, 牡 has 士, and 牠 has 也.

牯 is not common in everyday speech; people usually say 公牛 for 'bull.' It appears in place names like 牯岭 (Gǔlǐng), a famous scenic town in Lushan, and in terms like 水牯 (shuǐgǔ) for 'water buffalo.' In some dialects, 牯 is still used for a male ox, giving it a rustic, traditional feel.

Common words containing 牯 include: 牯牛 (gǔ niú) — Bull / Ox; 牯岭 (gǔ lǐng) — Guling (a famous scenic town in Lushan); 水牯 (shuǐ gǔ) — Water buffalo.