How to Write 瑁 (mào) — Meaning “Mao (ornamental jade; part of 'tortoiseshell').”

Imagine a king (王) wearing a tall hat (冒) made of beautiful tortoiseshell jade. The hat looks like a square with two horizontal lines and a sun inside it — that's 冒. This picture helps you recall both the shape and the meaning of 瑁.

The left radical 王 should be written narrow, with the bottom horizontal line slightly shorter than the top two. The right part 冒 has a specific order: first the outer frame (冂), then the two inner horizontal lines (二), and finally the 目 (eye) at the bottom. A common mistake is forgetting the second horizontal line inside 冒, making it look like 日.

瑁 has 冒 on the right, which looks like a hat with two horizontal lines and an eye underneath. 球 has 求 (with a dot and a slanted stroke) on the right and means 'ball'. 琅 has 良 (with a dot and a long slant) and means 'a type of jade' or is used in 琅琅 (tinkling sound). Their meanings are completely different, and the right side shapes are visually distinct.

Today 瑁 is almost always used in the word 玳瑁 (dài mào), which means 'hawksbill turtle' or 'tortoiseshell' material. You may also see 玳瑁猫 (dài mào māo) for a tortoiseshell cat. Tortoiseshell was once prized in Chinese culture for making combs, jewelry, and ornaments, but modern conservation laws now restrict its use.

Common words containing 瑁 include: 玳瑁 (dài mào) — hawksbill turtle / tortoiseshell; 玳瑁猫 (dài mào māo) — tortoiseshell cat; 玳瑁壳 (dài mào ké) — tortoiseshell.