馬
contributes the sense of horses · Kangxi radical 187
contributes the sense of horses, riding, and driving — and in some characters just the sound "ma"
馬 began as a side view of a horse facing left: a raised head with a bristling mane, an arched back, dangling tail and legs beneath. In the modern square form the short top stroke and the boxy middle are what is left of the head and body, the long stroke that bends and hooks up at the right is the hind leg and tail, and the four short strokes along the bottom are the legs and hooves. Once you see that outline, 馬 shows up clearly on the left of characters about riding, driving, and taming, such as 騎, 駕 and 馴. Because 馬 is read ma, it also lends only its sound to characters like 媽, 嗎 and 碼.
馬 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes the sense of horses
- Strokes
- 10
- Characters
- 55
- Role
- Contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 187
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 馬 mean?
馬 means "contributes the sense of horses". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 馬?
55 characters in this dictionary contain 馬.
Is 馬 a radical?
Yes — 馬 is Kangxi radical 187, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 馬 have?
馬 is written in 10 strokes.