卯 (mǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “the fourth of the twelve Earthly Branches”. It is written from 𠂎 (sideways pressing hand (left-side form of the claw/hand component)) and 卩 (kneeling person; seal (tally)), side by side, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “fourth earthly branch — the hour 5–7 a.m.”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
𠂎 + 卩
Left–right structure
- 𠂎 sideways pressing hand (left-side form of the claw/hand component) unknown
- 卩 kneeling person; seal (tally) · jié unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph stroke inspection (左半三笔 𠂎 + 右半两笔 卩)
Memory aid
Two halves that mirror each other and lean apart: 𠂎 on the left, 卩 on the right, like two door panels swung open at dawn — 卯 is the hour the gates open.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 卯时mǎo shíthe hour of Mao, 5–7 a.m.卯 = mǎo
- 卯眼mǎo yǎnmortise (the hole a tenon fits into)卯 = mǎospoken asmáo yǎn
- 寅吃卯粮yín chī mǎo liángto eat next year’s grain this year; to spend future income in advance卯 = mǎo
- 癸卯guǐ mǎoGui-Mao, the 40th year of the sexagenary cycle (e.g. 2023)卯 = mǎospoken asguí mǎo
Go deeper
All readings
fourth earthly branch
the fourth of the twelve Earthly Branches; the double-hour 5–7 a.m.; (in carpentry) mortise
地支的第四位；也指卯时，即早上五点到七点；在木工里指卯眼。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 卯时mǎo shíthe hour of Mao, 5–7 a.m.卯 = mǎo
- 卯眼mǎo yǎnmortise (the hole a tenon fits into)卯 = mǎospoken asmáo yǎn
- 寅吃卯粮yín chī mǎo liángto eat next year’s grain this year; to spend future income in advance卯 = mǎo
- 癸卯guǐ mǎoGui-Mao, the 40th year of the sexagenary cycle (e.g. 2023)卯 = mǎospoken asguí mǎo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 卯 mean?
卯 (mǎo) means the fourth of the twelve Earthly Branches; the double-hour 5–7 a.m.; (in carpentry) mortise.
How do you pronounce 卯?
It is pronounced mǎo.
What parts is 卯 made of?
𠂎 (sideways pressing hand (left-side form of the claw/hand component)) and 卩 (kneeling person; seal (tally)), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph stroke inspection (左半三笔 𠂎 + 右半两笔 卩). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 卯 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 卯?
卩. 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 卯?
Common ones are 卯时 and 卯眼. The reading of 卯 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.