母亲
母mother亲close family member=mother
母
母 (mǔ) Chinese Character: mother
Notice the two inner dots that make 母 easy to recognize.
Practice 母 in the interactive lessonChinese character story: The Mother Who Nurtures
母 (mǔ) means “mother.” Like 父, it often appears inside formal or compound family words. 母亲 means “mother,” 父母 means “parents,” and 母语 means “mother tongue” or “native language.” The two inner dots help distinguish 母 from similar-looking forms.
🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes
Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.
父母
父father母mother=parents
Chinese character origin and etymology
Early forms developed from the image of a woman with marks emphasizing nursing and motherhood. The form became the five-stroke character 母.
The modern form has a crossed center with two dots inside its enclosing strokes. 母 works as one complete form rather than a puzzle made from smaller modern components. Learning its overall silhouette is useful because the same shape may later appear inside more complex characters.
Chinese character stroke order and structure
母 is written with 5 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.
- 母 — mother — a foundational form used as one complete character
Common usage and sentence patterns
The examples below show 母 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.
我母亲在家。
My mother is at home.
父母都来了。
Both parents came.
她和母亲一起吃饭。
She eats with her mother.
Learning tips for 母
Learn the reading as one unit: mǔ, with the third tone: falling then rising. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “mother,” and write the 5 strokes from memory.
Because 母 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 父 (fù, father); 女 (nǚ, woman, female). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.
Quick review checklist
- Can you recognize 母 without pinyin?
- Can you say mǔ with the correct tone and explain “mother”?
- Can you write all 5 strokes in order?
- Can you use 母 in one short sentence?
Related characters
Learn 母 in a themed collection
Compare this character with related beginner words. A themed path helps you notice useful pairs, word-building patterns, and everyday contexts.
Continue learning Chinese characters
Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.
Sources and editorial note
HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.
Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.