茅 (máo) is a Chinese character meaning “thatch grass”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 矛 (spear; lance), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “thatch grass”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艹 + 矛
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：3 笔艹 + 5 笔矛 = 8 笔）
Memory aid
Grass (艹) sprouting on top of a spear (矛): the tall sharp blades of thatch grass, 茅, stand up like spear points in the field. Both parts really are in this character, and 矛 máo also hands you the whole sound máo.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 茅草máo cǎothatch grass; cogon grass茅 = máo
- 茅庐máo lúthatched cottage茅 = máo
Go deeper
All readings
thatch grass
thatch grass; cogon grass — the reed used to roof simple huts
茅草，一种可以用来盖屋顶的野草。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 茅草máo cǎothatch grass; cogon grass茅 = máo
- 茅庐máo lúthatched cottage茅 = máo
Sound component
矛 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 茅 mean?
茅 (máo) means thatch grass; cogon grass — the reed used to roof simple huts.
How do you pronounce 茅?
It is pronounced máo.
What parts is 茅 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 矛 (spear; lance), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：3 笔艹 + 5 笔矛 = 8 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 茅 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 茅?
艹. 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 茅?
Common ones are 茅草 and 茅庐. The reading of 茅 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.