麦 (mài): wheat, barley, oats, mic (abbr. for 麥克風|麦克风)
麦 (mài) is a Chinese character meaning “wheat.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 龶 (structural) and 夂 (structural). It ranks #1169 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 麦 simplified form of 麦; grains 來 ready to be harvested 夂. Its radical form 麦 (wheat) appears in many related characters such as 麴 (qū, surname Qu).
Definitions
- wheat
- barley
- oats
- mic (abbr. for 麥克風|麦克风)
Etymology & Origin
ideographicSimplified form of 麦; grains 來 ready to be harvested 夂
Decomposition: ⿱龶夂 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 麦 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 麦
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 麦克proper-noun | mài kè | (loanword) microphone |
| 麦片noun | mài piàn | oatmeal |
| 麦迪逊proper-noun | mài dí xùn | Madison (name) |
| 丹麦proper-noun | dān mài | Denmark |
| 麦当劳proper-noun | mài dāng láo | McDonald's (fast food company) |
| 麦芽noun | mài yá | malt |
| 麦凯恩proper-noun | mài kǎi ēn | McCain (name) |
| 燕麦noun | yàn mài | oats |
| 麦当娜proper-noun | mài dāng nà | Madonna (1958-), US pop singer |
| 麦克白 | mài kè bái | Macbeth (name) |
| 黑麦noun | hēi mài | rye (Secale cereale) |
| 麦克阿瑟proper-noun | mài kè ā sè | General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), US commander in Pacific during WW2, sacked in 1951 by President Truman for exc... |
| 荞麦noun | qiáo mài | buckwheat |
| 麦迪 | mài dí | Tracy McGrady (1979-), former NBA player |
| 麦加proper-noun | mài jiā | Mecca, Saudi Arabia |
麦 appears in 100 compound words: 63 as the first character, 22 as the last, and 15 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 麦 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
Example Sentences
这个麦字在古汉语中有不同的含义。
zhè gě mài zì zài gǔ hàn yǔ zhōng yǒu bù tóng de hán yì .
The character "麦" had different meanings in ancient Chinese.
麦芽糖醇是无糖食品吗?作为甜味剂被允许用于...
mài yá táng chún shì wú táng shí pǐn ma ? zuò wéi tián wèi jì bèi yǔn xǔ yòng yú . . .
Is maltitol a sugar free food? As a sweetener is allowed in...
麦芽糖醇属于无糖食品吗?它算不算国标定义的...
mài yá táng chún shǔ yú wú táng shí pǐn ma ? tā suàn bù suàn guó biāo dìng yì de . . .
Is maltitol a sugar-free food? Is it considered the definition of the national standard...
麦当劳2.23起推全新人气着数套餐 脆辣鸡...
mài dāng láo 2 . 2 3 qǐ tuī quán xīn rén qì zhe shǔ tào cān cuì là jī . . .
McDonald's launches a new popular set meal from 2.23 Crispy Spicy Chicken...
神韵德州麦克艾伦满场 市长赞震撼人心
shén yùn dé zhōu mài kè ài lún mǎn chǎng shì cháng zàn zhèn hàn rén xīn
Shen Yun Texas McAllen was full of mayors' praises
麦当劳全新人气着数套餐优惠!脆辣鸡腿饱餐减...
mài dāng láo quán xīn rén qì zhe shǔ tào cān yōu huì ! cuì là jī tuǐ bǎo cān jiǎn . . .
McDonald's new popular set meal discount! Crispy and spicy chicken thighs are full of meals...
你能辨别小麦和大麦吗？
Nǐ néng biànbié xiǎomài hé dàmài ma?
Can you tell wheat from barley?
麦克叫他的狗波奇吗？
Màikè jiào tā de gǒu bō qí ma?
Does Mike call his dog Pochi?
你觉得在麦当劳吃早餐如何？
Nǐ juéde zài Màidāngláo chī zǎocān rúhé?
What do you think about having breakfast at McDonald's?
黑麦被称为贫穷的谷物。
Hēimài bèi chēngwéi pínqióng de gǔwù.
Rye was called the grain of poverty.
Character Family
麦 Radical Family — Characters sharing the wheat radical
Related Characters
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 麦 (mài) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 麦 have?
What is the radical of 麦?
What are the components of 麦?
What are common words containing 麦?
What characters sound the same as 麦 (mài)?
Is 麦 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 麦 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.