How to Write 呣 (ḿ) — Meaning “mhm / hmm (interjection)”

Imagine a person putting a hand over their mouth (口) and saying “mm” because they do not (毋) know what to say. This visual helps link the mouth radical with the meaning of a hesitant nasal sound. Think of the shape: 毋 looks like a frown, and you frown while saying “hmm?”

Write 口 (3 strokes) first, then add 毋 (4 strokes) below it, for a total of 8 strokes. A common mistake is to confuse 毋 with 母 (mother) — the component 呣 uses 毋 which has no dot, while 母 has a dot. Make sure the 口 is smaller than the 毋 part to keep the character balanced.

吁 (yù or xū) means “hush” or “sigh” and uses the component 于, while 吂 (máng) means “mute” or “dumb” and uses 亡. In contrast, 呣 is only a nasal interjection (like “mhm”) and has 毋 inside. Visually, 呣 has a box shape (口) over a cross shape (毋), while 吁 has a vertical line and 吂 has a horizontal stroke plus a dot.

呣 is used informally in texting, chat, or comics to represent a thinking or hesitant nasal sound, similar to “mhm” or “hmm” in English. It is not found in official HSK lists or formal writing. Culturally, it shows a pause for thought or a soft agreement in casual spoken Chinese.

Common words containing 呣 include: 呣 (ḿ) — mhm / hmm (interjection).