How to Write 艋 (měng) — Meaning “Small boat / Canoe”

Imagine a small boat (舟) that looks like a grasshopper (蚱), because the word 蚱艋 means a grasshopper-shaped boat. Picture a tiny boat hopping across water like a grasshopper to recall the meaning "small boat." The sound "meng" can also remind you of "meng" as in "meng" boat — short and compact.

Write the boat radical 舟 first, then the right side 孟. Pay attention to the proportions: 舟 is narrow and takes up about one-third of the width. A common mistake is writing the 孟 part too large or mixing up the order of strokes inside 孟, especially the 子 component. Remember that 孟 has a 子 on top and 皿 below, not reversed.

Unlike 舾 (xī, ship equipment) and 艄 (shāo, stern of a boat), 艋 specifically means a small boat or canoe. Visually, 舾 has the phonetic 西 on the right, while 艄 has 肖. 艋 uses 孟 on the right, and its meaning focuses on size (small) rather than a part or equipment of a ship. In usage, 艋 is much rarer and often appears in historical or literary contexts.

艋 is not a common character in daily Modern Chinese and is not in the HSK vocabulary lists. It appears mainly in classical texts, place names, or compound words like 蚱艋 (grasshopper-shaped boat). Culturally, 艋 is famously used in 艋舺 (Měngjiǎ), the former name of a district in Taipei, Taiwan, which was a historic port area with many small boats — so you may encounter it in historical or cultural references about Taiwan.

Common words containing 艋 include: 艋舟 (měng zhōu) — Small boat / Sampan; 蚱艋 (zhà měng) — Small boat (shaped like a grasshopper); 蚱艋船 (zhà měng chuán) — Small boat / Sampan.