How to Write 仫 (mù) — Meaning “Mulao (ethnic group name component)”

Imagine a person (亻) standing next to a small 'demon' or 'elf' (么) — but instead of a demon, think of a friendly Mulao person of small stature. The right side 么 looks like a tiny figure with a hat, helping you recall the Mulao ethnic group.

Write the left radical 亻 first: a left-slant downward stroke followed by an upward vertical stroke. Then write the right component 么: start with a left-falling stroke (撇), then a left-falling stroke (撇) and a final dot (点). The overall shape should be narrow-left and slightly wider-right, with the two parts balanced vertically.

亿 (yì) means 'one hundred million' and has the same radical but a different right side (乙). 什 (shí) means 'assorted' or 'ten' and has the right side 十. Unlike those common characters, 仫 is extremely rare and only appears in the term for the Mulao ethnic group, so you will almost never see it in daily Chinese.

仫 is almost exclusively used as part of the name 仫佬族 (Mulao ethnic group), one of China's 56 officially recognized ethnic minorities. It also appears in 仫佬语 (Mulao language) and occasionally in 仫佬 (Mulao people). You will not find this character in general vocabulary, only in ethnic studies or cultural contexts.

Common words containing 仫 include: 仫佬族 (mù lǎo zú) — Mulao ethnic group; 仫佬语 (mù lǎo yǔ) — Mulao language; 仫佬 (mù lǎo) — Mulao (ethnic group).