The Chinese Radical: 马




Hanzi-Trainer
Search:
 
Meaning
horse    马

Explanation Simplified from 馬, which is the image of a running horse with the mane in the wind, four legs 灬 and a tail.

Used in these characters:
HSK 1
question particle, morphine
mǎ, ma, má
Left: mouth 口, right: horse 马 (traditionally: 馬 with mane 三, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ)
A mouth (as big) as that of a horse is good for: questions.  
HSK 1
mother, mom

Left: woman 女, right: horse 马 (=馬 with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ)
The woman who works as hard as a horse, is my mother.  
HSK 3
horse

simplified from 馬
Traditionally 馬 the image of a running horse ㄅ, with the mane in the wind ⌝, four legs 灬 and the tail フ.  
HSK 3
to ride (an animal or bike), to sit astride

Left: horse 马/馬 (= mane, 4 legs 灬 and a tail ㄅ), right: strange, odd 奇 (There is a big 大 possibility (opportunity) 可, but it looks strange.)
A horse gives you big possibilities, when you are riding.  
HSK 4
to examine, to test, to check
yàn
Left: horse 马 (=馬 with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: together 佥 (A person 人 as one 一 is with three ツ together.)
(i.e. check the number) The horses are (rounded) together, when you want to control them.  
HSK 4
weight, code, number, to pile, to stack

Left: stone 石 (At the cliff 厂 is a stone 口), right: horse 马 (=馬 with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ)
How many stones can a horse carry? - This weight is a code or a number.  
HSK 4
to cheat, to swindle, to deceive, to fool
piàn
Left: horse 马/馬, right: flat 扁 (Sliding doors 戸 and writing tablets 冊 are flat.)
A horse as flat as a door plate, is a cheat.  
HSK 4
haughty, proud, arrogant
jiāo
Left: horse 马/馬, right: tall 乔 (top:夭, here: sky 天, long legs 丿| [Sky-long legs make tall])
On a horse you appear tall and become haughty.  
HSK 5
to scold, damn, curse, revile

Top: mouths 口, below: horse 马 (=馬 with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ)
They have mouths like horses and scold ...  
HSK 5
to gallop, speedily, to pilot (ship, plane)
shǐ
Left: horse 马/馬 (.. with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: history 史 (Here: a body 口 of the horse with wide steps 丈 and thus only two legs on the ground.)
The horse has two legs on ground, when: galloping.  
HSK 5
to harness, to draw (a cart etc), to pilot
jià
Top: to add 加 (For getting power 力 your mouth 口 needs sth. to be 'added' [= to eat]), bottom: horse 马/馬 (.. with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ)
Add this to a horse: A harness to draw/direct it.  
HSK 5
sudden, abrupt, suddenly, unexpected
zhòu
Left: horse 马/馬 (.. with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: to gather 聚 (If you can grasp 取 each other and stand side-by-side 乑, you have gathered)
Use the horse if the "gathering" is to take place suddenly.  
HSK 5
to dash, to rush, charge, to break through
chuǎng
Outside: gate 门/ 門, inside: horse 马/馬
Through the gate the horses are dashing away.  
HSK 6
to be stationed (of troops, diplomats etc)
zhù
Left: horse 马 (=馬 with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: master, host 主 (I emphasize 丶, the king 王 is the master)
(Horses were changed at a relay station) Where horses have their host, is the (relay) station.  
HSK 6
to expel, to urge on, to drive, to run quickly

Left: horse 马/馬 (= with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: district 区
Take your horse. From this district you are: expelled!  
HSK 6
contradict, diverse, variegated, heterogeneous, to refute

Left: horse 马/馬, right: two crosses 爻
A horse with four crossed legs? Who wants to contradict that this is diverse.  
HSK 6
run fast, speed, spread, gallop
chí
Left: horse 马/馬, right: also/too 也 (shows a twisting creature, like a snake)
A horse bitten by a bent creature will run fast.  
HSK 6
disturbance, rumpus, trouble, flirty, coquettish
sāo
Left: horse 马/馬, right: 蚤 (fork 叉 [=hand 又 with fork 丶], insect 虫)
A horse pricked by a fork or an insect causes a coquettish disturbance.  
HSK 6
to gallop, soar, rise, to prance
téng
Left: we (imperial) 朕 (body 月/肉 and border guard 龹 (person 人 with high lifted arms 丷 and two barrier bars 二), bottom: horse 马/馬
Your body can jump/soar over the security guard, if your horse is galloping.  
HSK 6
dragonfly, grasshopper, ant, leech
mā, mǎ, mà
Left: insect 虫, right: horse 马/馬 (= with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ)
Insects that resemble a horse, are the dragonfly and the grasshopper.  
no HSK
agate, cornelian

Left: king, jade 王 (Jade itself is: 玉), right: horse 马/馬 (= with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ)
The jewel (=jade) that has similar to a horse different colored stripes is: the agate.  
no HSK
tame, to domesticate, obedient, attain gradually
xún
Left: horse 马/馬, right: river 川
A horse going with you through the river is: tamed.  
no HSK
camel, white horse with a black mane
luò
Left: horse 马/馬, right: every 各 (here: Sitting cross-legged 夂 on a hump 口 does everybody)
The 'horse', where you sit on the hump is the: camel.  
no HSK
to gallop, to assist, to attack
féng, píng
Left: ice 冫 (here: two feet of the horse), right: horse 马/馬 (with mane 三, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ)
Two feet of the horse (are touching the earth) when: galloping.  
no HSK
to terrify, startle, astonish, to shock
hài
Left: horse 马/馬, right: (zodiac) pig 亥 (head 亠, fat body ノノ small tail 丶)
A horse (fat) as a pig! That's terrifying!  
no HSK
donkey

Left: horse 马/馬, right: sliding door 戸 here: back/buttons 尸 with a load 一)
The 'horse' that is loaded, is: the donkey.  
no HSK
suddenly, unexpectedly, leap on or over

Top: negative 莫 (sink, go down: The plants 艹 are made by the sun 日 to be large 大 [= as long shadows] at sunset.), bottom: horse 马/馬
The sunset is (fast as) a horse and comes suddenly.  
no HSK
sincere, true, serious (illness)

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: horse 马/馬
(The strength of) bamboo and horses are upright/sincere.  
no HSK
spirited horse
jùn
Left: horse 马/馬 (= with mane, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: dawdle 夋 (nose 厶, legs 儿, upturned foot 夂)
A horse with this nose, legs and upturned feet must be spirited.  
no HSK
bridle, halter, to restrain, to detain, to lodge, inn

Top: net 罒/网, bottom: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather.), horse 马/馬
The 'net' made of leather for the horse is: the bridle.  
no HSK
mule
luó
Left: horse 马/馬, right: exhausted 累 (If the fields are long 田 as threads 糸, they will exhaust us)
The "horse" working until being exhausted, is the mule.  
no HSK
to manage, to drive, to control

Left: horse 马/馬 (with mane 三, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: hand 又
For the horse use your hand to: manage it.  
no HSK
to carry on one's back
duò, tuó
Left: horse 马/馬 (with mane 三, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: big 大
A horse can carry sth. big: on its back.  
驿
no HSK
post horse, relay station

Left: horse 马/馬, right: variation of vertical 圣, but here: two different hands: 又 and 扌=手
(Here the riders changed horses.) A horse comes from one hand to another at: the relay station.  
no HSK
camel, hump or hunchbacked
tuó
Left: horse 马/馬 (with mane 三, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: it (lifeless) 它 (roof 宀 and sitting person 匕)
This 'horse' has a roof for sitting on: The camel.  
no HSK
colt

Left: horse 马/馬, right: sentence, phrase 句 (= wrapped 勹 in the mouth 口) Here: see similarity of the wrapping 勹 with: placenta/womb 胞
The horse coming out of the placenta with its head 口 is a colt.  
no HSK
thoroughbred horse, refined and virtuous

Left: horse 马/馬 (with mane 三, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: to hope, wish 冀 (Also in the north 北, our fields 田 shall be commonly 共 extraordinary 異/异: This is what we hope)
The horse, we hope for is: a thoroughbred horse.  




List of the characters | List of the radicals
Get the app of the Hanzi-Trainer!

The app has many other functions, such as character selection according to difficulty, practice programs, handwriting recognition and success statistics!

To the Trainer