How to Write 犸 (mà) — Meaning “mammoth (used in 'měngmǎ')”

Picture a giant, shaggy mammoth that looks like a horse (马) but with fierce animal claws (犭). The left side looks like an animal paw, and the right is a horse, so imagine a "horse-beast" to recall 犸.

Start with the left radical 犭: a short left-falling stroke, then a curved hook, then another left-falling stroke. Then write 马 on the right: horizontal, vertical-hook, horizontal. Keep 马 slightly narrower than 犭, and don't forget the hook on the left radical.

犯 has 犭 on the left but the right side is a bent stroke (㇃), not 马. 犰 has 犭 on the left and 九 (nine) on the right. Only 犸 has 马 on the right, and it means mammoth, while the others relate to crime or mythical beasts.

犸 is almost never used alone; it appears in the word 猛犸 (mammoth) and related terms like 猛犸象. Culturally, 猛犸 refers to the extinct Ice Age animal, often shown in Chinese museums and children's books about prehistoric life.

Common words containing 犸 include: 猛犸 (měng mà) — Mammoth; 猛犸象 (měng mà xiàng) — Mammoth; 犸象 (mà xiàng) — mammoth.