How to Write 拇 (mǔ) — Meaning “thumb; big toe”

Think of a mother (母) giving a thumbs-up with her hand (扌). The image of a proud mother raising her thumb helps you remember that 拇 means thumb. Also, 母 sounds like 'moo', and a cow's mother says moo while pointing with her hoof—a silly but memorable picture.

Write the left radical 扌 first: a horizontal stroke, then a vertical hook, and finally a lift stroke. Then write 母: start with a vertical fold on the left, then a horizontal fold, two dots inside (top dot then bottom dot), and end with a long horizontal stroke. A common mistake is to make the dots too small or to forget the vertical hook on 扌.

The right side of 拇 is 母 (mother), while 托 has 乇 (a sprout) and 㧜 is rare. In meaning, 拇 specifically means thumb or big toe, and 托 means to hold or support with a hand. Visually, 母 has two dots inside the square shape, but 乇 has a simple cross-like form without dots.

In modern Chinese, 拇 appears in the word 拇指 for thumb or big toe, and 大拇指 is the common term for thumb. You may also hear 拇指琴 to refer to a kalimba, a small thumb piano. Culturally, giving a thumbs-up gesture is called 竖大拇指, and the thumb is often used to show approval or strength.

Common words containing 拇 include: 拇指 (mǔ zhǐ) — thumb; 大拇指 (dà mǔ zhǐ) — Thumb; 拇指琴 (mǔ zhǐ qín) — thumb piano; kalimba.