How to Write 殁 (mò) — Meaning “to die; to pass away”

Visualize a skeleton (歹) being hit by a club (殳) — the shape of 殳 looks like a weapon with a hook. This "death by striking" image helps link the character to its meaning of passing away.

Write the left radical 歹 first: horizontal, left-falling, then dot. Then the right part 殳: start with a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal hook (not a full curve), followed by another left-falling and a dot. A common mistake is making the hook too large or forgetting the final dot.

死 is the everyday word for 'die' used in all contexts. 殁 is more literary, found in compounds like 战殁 (killed in battle) or 病殁 (died of illness). 歼 means 'annihilate' (enemies), while 殁 just describes the act of dying.

殁 appears mainly in formal or historical writing, such as obituaries, military records, or classical texts. It carries a solemn tone and is not used in casual conversation. For everyday speech, 死 or 去世 are preferred.

Common words containing 殁 include: 殁世 (mò shì) — to pass away; for a lifetime; 战殁 (zhàn mò) — Killed in battle; died in action.; 病殁 (bìng mò) — to die of illness.