牦 (máo): yak (Bos grunniens)

牦 (máo) is a Chinese character meaning “yak (bos grunniens).” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 牛 (structural) and 毛 (structural). It ranks #4344 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Etymologically derived, 牦 the fur 毛 of an ox 牛; 毛 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 牛 (cow) appears in many related characters such as 特 (tè, special), 牛 (niú, ox), 物 (wù, (bound form) thing).

Spoken pronunciation

Radical: 牛 cow8 strokesFrequency #4344牛 structural 毛 structural

Definitions

yak (Bos grunniens)

Etymology & Origin

牦

ideographicThe fur 毛 of an ox 牛; 毛 also provides the pronunciation

Decomposition: ⿰牛毛 (layout: left-right)

Components:牛structural 毛structural

Stroke Order

Practice writing 牦 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
牦牛noun	máo niú	yak (Bos grunniens)

Total compounds

100

As first character

As last character

As middle character

牦 appears in 1 compound words: 100 as the first character, 0 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Example Sentences

中国新闻网·生活Aug 2026

牦牛奶味甘、性温热，适合阳虚体质人群。

máo niú nǎi wèi gān , xìng wēn rè , shì hé yáng xū tǐ zhì rén qún .

Yak milk has a sweet taste and a warm nature, making it suitable for people with a yang-deficient constitution.

中国新闻网·生活Aug 2026

羊奶、牦牛奶、骆驼奶哪种值得选？

yáng nǎi , máo niú nǎi , luò tuó nǎi nǎ zhǒng zhí dé xuǎn ?

Which is the best choice: goat milk, yak milk, or camel milk?

奇客SolidotJul 2026

部分珍稀物种如金丝野牦牛仅剩 300 余头，濒临灭绝。

bù fēn zhēn xī wù zhǒng rú jīn sī yě máo niú jǐn shèng 3 0 0 yú tóu , bīn lín miè jué .

Some rare species, such as the golden wild yak, number only about 300 and are on the verge of extinction.

Character Family

牛 Radical Family — Characters sharing the cow radical

物wù 特tè 牛niú 牲shēng 牢láo 牵qiān 牧mù 牺xī 牡mǔ 犀xī

Related Characters

特tè 牛niú 物wù 牢láo 牵qiān 牲shēng 牺xī 牡mǔ 牧mù 犀xī

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 牦 (máo) mean in Chinese?

牦 (máo) primarily means "yak (bos grunniens)." It is not part of the HSK 3.0 syllabus. It ranks #4344 in character frequency.

How many strokes does 牦 have?

牦 is written with 8 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 牦?

The radical associated with 牦 is 牛 (cow). This radical appears in many characters related to cow.

What are the components of 牦?

牦 is composed of: 牛 (structural), 毛 (structural). Its IDS decomposition is ⿰牛毛 with a left-right layout. Understanding the components helps with both memorization and recognizing related characters.

What are common words containing 牦?

Common words with 牦 include: 牦牛 (máo niú, "yak (Bos grunniens)"). There are over 1 compound words containing this character.

Is 牦 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

No. The simplified form is 牦 and the traditional form is 氂.

Practice writing 牦 with real-time feedback

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