码 (mǎ) is a Chinese character meaning “a number or code that marks or identifies something”. It is written from 石 (stone; rock) and 马 (horse), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “number, code”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
石 + 马
Left–right structure
Structure from: ids-derived (⿰石马；左为石旁，右为马声；已与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 的 8 画笔顺逐笔核验：第 0–4 画为石，第 5–7 画为马)
Memory aid
A stone (石) on the left: a small marked pebble used as a counting token. On the right, 马 (mǎ, horse) brings no horse meaning at all — it only lends its sound, mǎ. A counting stone that sounds like "mǎ": a number, a code.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 号码hào mǎnumber (phone number, room number, etc.)码 = mǎ
- 密码mì mǎpassword; code码 = mǎ
Go deeper
All readings
number; code
a number or code that marks or identifies something; a counter used for counting
表示数目的符号；也指编成的号码或代码。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 号码hào mǎnumber (phone number, room number, etc.)码 = mǎ
- 密码mì mǎpassword; code码 = mǎ
Sound component
马 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 码 mean?
码 (mǎ) means a number or code that marks or identifies something; a counter used for counting.
How do you pronounce 码?
It is pronounced mǎ.
What parts is 码 made of?
石 (stone; rock) and 马 (horse), side by side. The recorded source is: ids-derived (⿰石马；左为石旁，右为马声；已与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 的 8 画笔顺逐笔核验：第 0–4 画为石，第 5–7 画为马). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 码 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 码?
石. 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 码?
Common ones are 号码. The reading of 码 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.