马车
马horse车vehicle=horse-drawn carriage
马
马 (mǎ) Chinese Character: horse
A flowing mane on top — that's a horse!
Practice 马 in the interactive lessonChinese character story: The Running Horse
马 is a horse — originally a lively drawing with a mane, body, and legs. Over time it was simplified to a neat character with a flowing top, but the spirit of the running horse remains. The horse carried China: in war, in trade, in travel.
🧩 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.
马上
马horse上on=immediately
马上 is now a fixed time word; do not translate it as “on a horse.”
Chinese character origin and etymology
马 is documented as a basic character form. Its earlier written forms gradually became the regular-script shape used today.
In modern simplified Chinese, 马 is written with 3 strokes. This lesson separates documented shape history from the memory story so learners do not mistake a mnemonic for a historical claim. 马 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
马 is written with 3 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.
- 马 — horse — a running steed
Common usage and sentence patterns
The examples below show 马 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.
他们坐马车进城。
They ride a horse-drawn carriage into town.
我马上回来。
I will be right back.
草地上有一匹白马。
There is a white horse on the grass.
Learning tips for 马
Learn the reading as one unit: mǎ, with the third tone: falling then rising. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “horse,” and write the 3 strokes from memory.
Because 马 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 妈 (mā, mother — woman (女) + horse (马)); 骑 (qí, ride — horse (马) + 奇); 驴 (lǘ, donkey — horse (马) + 户). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.
Quick review checklist
- Can you recognize 马 without pinyin?
- Can you say mǎ with the correct tone and explain “horse”?
- Can you write all 3 strokes in order?
- Can you use 马 in one short sentence?
Related characters
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.