How to Write 昴 (mǎo) — Meaning “Pleiades (star cluster)”

Picture a bright sun (日) sitting directly above the "hairpin" shape of 卯, like a star cluster with a glowing star on top. The shape 卯 looks like three stars in a row with two dots below, reminding you of the Pleiades group.

The top component 日 should be slightly narrower than the bottom 卯, and the strokes of 卯 must be balanced. Avoid making the 日 too wide or the vertical stroke in 卯 too long, as that can make the character look lopsided. The total of 9 strokes is easy to miscount if you rush the bottom part.

昴 has 日 on top and 卯 below, while 旰 has 日 on the left and 干 (gàn) on the right, meaning "sunset" or "late". 旱 has 日 above and 干 below, meaning "drought". The key visual difference is the component 卯 (three strokes plus two dots) versus 干 (three straight strokes), so focus on the bottom shape.

昴 is rare in everyday conversation but appears in astronomy and traditional Chinese astrology as one of the 28 lunar mansions (昴宿). It also appears in classical poetry and star names like 昴星. You might encounter it in discussions of ancient Chinese star lore or in place names referencing the Pleiades.

Common words containing 昴 include: 昴宿 (mǎo sù) — Pleiades (one of the 28 mansions); 昴星 (mǎo xīng) — Pleiades stars; 昴日 (mǎo rì) — The sun in the Pleiades.