How to Write 昧 (mèi) — Meaning “Obscure / Ignorant”

Imagine the sun (日) is hidden behind a cloud, so it has "not yet" (未) appeared — everything looks dark and obscure. This helps you remember that 昧 means obscure or ignorant, like being in the dark.

Write the left radical 日 first (three strokes: vertical, horizontal fold, lower horizontal), then write 未 on the right (five strokes: horizontal, horizontal, vertical, left-falling, dot). A common mistake is making the top horizontal of 未 too long; it should be shorter than the second horizontal stroke.

昧 has 未 on the right and means obscure, while 旰 (gàn) has 干 on the right and means "late in the day." 旱 (hàn) has 干 below the sun and means drought. Focus on the right-side component: 未 (not yet) vs. 干 (dry/stem).

昧 appears in common words like 暧昧 (àimèi) for ambiguous relationships or shady deals, and 愚昧 (yúmèi) for ignorance. It often carries a negative tone, describing something unclear or a person lacking understanding.

Common words containing 昧 include: 暧昧 (ài mèi) — ambiguous; shady; dubious; 冒昧 (mào mèi) — Presumptuous / to take the liberty; 愚昧 (yú mèi) — ignorant / benighted.