矛 · máo

spear

Radical pronunciation

Radical summary

#110

Kangxi

5

Strokes

#83

Frequency

Visual hint

A spear or lance: a long stroke and spiral forming a long pointed spearhead.

Suggests a long-range offensive weapon, contradiction, or opposing forces.

varies

Trace the radical, simplified, traditional, and variant forms when available.

矛

2 examples

矛

máo

spear; lance

HSK 5

柔

róu

soft; gentle; flexible

HSK 5

Spear radical. Found in 矛 (spear), 柔 (soft/gentle), 务 (task/duty).

A long sharp spear: the weapon of ancient foot soldiers — striking from a distance, sharp and dangerous.

矢: 矛 is a thrusting spear; 矢 is a shot arrow — both long-range weapons but different types.

What radical is this: 矛?