猛 (měng) is a Chinese character meaning “fierce”. It is written from 犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 孟 (eldest (of brothers); a surname — used as a sound component (mèng)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “fierce”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
犭 + 孟
Left–right structure
- 犭 dog / beast radical (side form of 犬) · quǎn meaning
- 孟 eldest (of brothers); a surname — used as a sound component (mèng) · mèng sound
Structure from: 说文解字: 猛，健犬也。从犬孟聲
Memory aid
A beast (犭) beside 孟 (mèng) — the beast gives the meaning, 孟 gives the sound: měng, fierce.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 凶猛xiōng měngferocious; fierce猛 = měng
- 迅猛xùn měngswift and fierce; rapid and powerful猛 = měng
Go deeper
All readings
fierce; violent
fierce; violent; vigorous; sudden; suddenly
凶暴；力量大、来势急；突然。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 凶猛xiōng měngferocious; fierce猛 = měng
- 迅猛xùn měngswift and fierce; rapid and powerful猛 = měng
Sound component
孟 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 猛 mean?
猛 (měng) means fierce; violent; vigorous; sudden; suddenly.
How do you pronounce 猛?
It is pronounced měng.
What parts is 猛 made of?
犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 孟 (eldest (of brothers); a surname — used as a sound component (mèng)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 猛，健犬也。从犬孟聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 猛 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 猛?
犬. 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 猛?
Common ones are 凶猛 and 迅猛. The reading of 猛 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.