冒 (mào) is a Chinese character meaning “to brave”. It is written from 冃 (the open-topped frame in 冒: a box whose two inner strokes do not reach the right wall) and 目 (eye), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to risk; to brave”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
冃 + 目
Top–bottom structure
- 冃 the open-topped frame in 冒: a box whose two inner strokes do not reach the right wall · mào unknown
- 目 eye · mù unknown
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-3 上部冃 / 4-8 下部目）
Memory aid
A lidded frame (冃) pulled down over an eye (目): you can barely see, and you push ahead anyway — to brave it, to risk it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 感冒gǎn màoto catch a cold; a cold; the flu冒 = mào
- 冒险mào xiǎnto take a risk; to venture; adventure冒 = mào
Go deeper
All readings
to risk; to emit
to brave; to risk; to venture; to give off (steam, smoke); to falsely pass oneself off as
不顾危险地去做；也指向外透出（热气、烟等），或假充别人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 感冒gǎn màoto catch a cold; a cold; the flu冒 = mào
- 冒险mào xiǎnto take a risk; to venture; adventure冒 = mào
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 冒 mean?
冒 (mào) means to brave; to risk; to venture; to give off (steam, smoke); to falsely pass oneself off as.
How do you pronounce 冒?
It is pronounced mào.
What parts is 冒 made of?
冃 (the open-topped frame in 冒: a box whose two inner strokes do not reach the right wall) and 目 (eye), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-3 上部冃 / 4-8 下部目）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 冒 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 冒?
冂. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 冒?
Common ones are 感冒 and 冒险. The reading of 冒 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.