How to Write 沐 (mù) — Meaning “to bathe; to wash; to receive”

Picture a tree (木) standing under a shower of water (氵). The water is washing the tree, so the character means "to bathe." This image links the water and tree components to the idea of washing or bathing.

Write the left radical 氵 first: three strokes — dot, dot, then a rising stroke that curves slightly. Then write 木 on the right: horizontal, vertical, left-falling stroke, and right-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the 氵 too wide or spacing it too far from 木; keep them close but clear.

沐 has the right side 木 (tree), while 氿 has 九 (nine) on the right, and 㳄 has a different component that looks like water flowing. In meaning, 沐 is about bathing with water, 氿 means a spring of water, and 㳄 is an uncommon character about saliva or flowing. Their visual differences are clear when you focus on the right side.

沐 appears mainly in formal or compound words like 沐浴 (to bathe) and 沐浴露 (shower gel). It is also used in the poetic phrase 沐浴阳光 (to bask in the sun), which describes enjoying sunlight like a bath. You will not often see 沐 alone in daily conversation; it is more common in written or descriptive language.

Common words containing 沐 include: 沐浴 (mù yù) — to bathe; to take a bath; 沐浴露 (mù yù lù) — shower gel; body wash; 沐浴阳光 (mù yù yáng guāng) — to bask in the sun.