某 (mǒu) is a Chinese character meaning “a certain (one)”. It is written from 甘 (sweet) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “a certain one; some”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
甘 + 木
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：某，酸果也。从木从甘
Memory aid
Something sweet (甘) sitting on top of a tree (木). Both parts are really in this character. Which tree? Some tree — a certain one nobody bothers to name.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 某些mǒu xiēcertain; some某 = mǒu
- 某人mǒu réna certain person; someone某 = mǒu
Go deeper
All readings
a certain; some
a certain (one); some; used when the speaker cannot or will not name the person or thing
指不明确指出的人或事物；某个、某些。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 某些mǒu xiēcertain; some某 = mǒu
- 某人mǒu réna certain person; someone某 = mǒu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 某 mean?
某 (mǒu) means a certain (one); some; used when the speaker cannot or will not name the person or thing.
How do you pronounce 某?
It is pronounced mǒu.
What parts is 某 made of?
甘 (sweet) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：某，酸果也。从木从甘. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 某 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 某?
木. 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 某?
Common ones are 某些 and 某人. The reading of 某 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.