Hanzi Writer

How to Write 马 (mǎ) — Meaning “Horse”

mǎ HSK Level 1 3 strokes Radical: 马

马 (mǎ) means "Horse" in Chinese. It has 3 strokes with the radical 马, and is HSK Level 1.

Rated 1.7/5 in difficulty (beginner-friendly).

Harder than 11% of HSK Level 1 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 马上 (mǎ shàng), 骑马 (qí mǎ), 马路 (mǎ lù).

In the Hanzi Writer app, most learners master 马 within 3 practice attempts using stroke-by-stroke animation.

Stroke order practice for 马 - mǎ

Practice Writing 马 (mǎ)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 马 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 马

The character 马 (mǎ) is written with 3 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 马 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does mǎ (马) Mean in Chinese?

马 means Horse.

As an HSK Level 1 character, 马 is among the first characters beginners learn.

Character Data

Character马
Pinyinmǎ (ma)
MeaningHorse
Strokes3
Radical马
HSK Level1
Difficulty1.7/5

Origin of 马

马 is a pictograph that originally depicted a horse in side view, showing its head, mane, legs, and tail. Over centuries, the shape was simplified to just three strokes, but the modern form still faintly suggests a horse's head with a flowing mane and a single back leg.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine the top hook as the horse's head and neck, the middle line as its body, and the bottom swoop as its swishing tail galloping forward.

Common Words with 马

马上 mǎ shàng
Immediately; right away
骑马 qí mǎ
To ride a horse
马路 mǎ lù
Road; street

Example Sentences

我马上就到学校。

wǒ mǎ shàng jiù dào xué xiào

I'll be at school very soon.

他喜欢在草原骑马。

tā xǐ huān zài cǎo yuán qí mǎ

He likes riding horses on the grasslands.

过马路要看红绿灯。

guò mǎ lù yào kàn hóng lǜ dēng

You must watch the traffic lights when crossing the road.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
马 (current) mǎ 3 马
驭 yù 5 马
Stroke order practice for 马 - mǎ

Practice Writing 马 (mǎ)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 马 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

App Store ▶ Google Play

Frequently Asked Questions about 马

The character 马 is a pictograph that originally depicted a horse's head, mane, and legs. Its current simplified form uses three strokes to abstractly represent a horse's shape. The radical 马 is itself, so it often appears in words related to horses or riding.

More HSK Level 1 Characters

爱ài好hǎo/hào八bā爸bà吧ba/bā白bái天tiān百bǎi班bān半bàn年nián帮bāng忙máng包bāo子zi/zǐ杯bēi北běi边biān京jīng本běn

Characters with Radical 马

驭yù驮duò/tuó驯xùn驰chí驱qū驳bó驴lǘ驵zǎng驶shǐ驷sì

Other 3-Stroke Characters

万wàn丈zhàng三sān上shàng下xià丌jī与yǔ/yù个ge/gě/gè丫yā丸wán