How to Write 霾 (mái) — Meaning “Haze or smog”

Imagine rain (雨) falling onto a wild cat (貍) that stirs up dust, creating a thick haze. The cat’s messy fur also reminds you of the blurry, dirty air in smog.

Start with the wide rain radical 雨 at the top, covering the lower part. The lower part 貍 has many strokes; a common mistake is making the left side (豸) too narrow or skipping the small dot inside. Keep the overall balance wide and tall.

霾 means haze or smog from pollution, while 霰 refers to small ice pellets (graupel) and 露 means dew. Visually, 霾 has 雨 plus 貍, 霰 has 雨 plus 散, and 露 has 雨 plus 路—each has a different sound component and meaning.

霾 is commonly used in weather reports and news about air pollution, especially in the word 雾霾 (wù mái, smog). In China, severe smog is a serious environmental issue, so this character often appears in discussions about air quality and health.

Common words containing 霾 include: 雾霾 (wù mái) — Smog; 霾天气 (mái tiān qì) — Hazy weather; 阴霾 (yīn mái) — haze; gloom.