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How to Write 卯 (mǎo) — Meaning “4th Earthly Branch; 5-7 AM; mortise”

mǎo 5 strokes Radical: 卩

卯 (mǎo) means "4th Earthly Branch; 5-7 AM; mortise" in Chinese. It has 5 strokes with the radical 卩.

Rated 2.7/5 in difficulty (moderate).

Appears in 3+ common words including 卯时 (mǎo shí), 榫卯 (sǔn mǎo), 卯眼 (mǎo yǎn).

Hanzi Writer's stroke validation shows learners typically need 5-8 attempts to write 卯 with correct proportion and order.

Stroke order practice for 卯 - mǎo

Practice Writing 卯 (mǎo)

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How to Write 卯

The character 卯 (mǎo) is written with 5 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 卩 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 mǎo (卯) Mean in Chinese?

卯 means 4th Earthly Branch; 5-7 AM; mortise.

Character Data

Character卯
Pinyinmǎo (mao)
Meaning4th Earthly Branch; 5-7 AM; mortise
Strokes5
Radical卩
Difficulty2.7/5

Origin of 卯

The character 卯 originally depicted two halves of a door or a mortise-and-tenon joint, representing a gap or fitting. Over time, it was borrowed phonetically for the fourth Earthly Branch (associated with the rabbit and dawn) and later extended to mean 'mortise' as a noun.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a rabbit with two long ears (the top strokes) standing in an open doorway at 5 AM, symbolizing both the Earthly Branch and the time period.

Common Words with 卯

卯时 mǎo shí
the period from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
榫卯 sǔn mǎo
Mortise and tenon
卯眼 mǎo yǎn
mortise (in woodworking)

Example Sentences

现在是卯时。

xiàn zài shì mǎo shí

It is now the Mao period (5 a.m. to 7 a.m.).

榫卯结构很精巧。

sǔn mǎo jié gòu hěn jīng qiǎo

The mortise and tenon structure is very ingenious.

木头上有一个卯眼。

mù tou shàng yǒu yí gè mǎo yǎn

There is a mortise in the wood.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
卯 (current) mǎo 5 卩
卫 wèi 3 卩
卬 áng 4 卩
卮 zhī 5 卩
Stroke order practice for 卯 - mǎo

Practice Writing 卯 (mǎo)

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

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Frequently Asked Questions about 卯

卯 consists of the radical 卩 (seal) on the right and a left component that resembles an open shape. The character originally depicted a door bolt or a mortise hole, relating to its meanings of 'mortise' and the time period 5–7 AM when doors were opened.

Characters with Radical 卩

卫wèi卬áng卮zhī印yìn危wēi即jí却què卵luǎn卸xiè卺jǐn

Other 5-Stroke Characters

㐌yí㐱zhěn㢟chān且qiě丕pī世shì丘qiū丙bǐng业yè丛cóng