摸 (mō) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

摸

mō[mo1]Tone 1

to touch, feel, or stroke

HSK 4

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to touch, feel, or stroke

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (hand radical 扌) occupies about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (莫) two-thirds of the space. Keep the horizontal strokes evenly spaced and parallel.

1. Meaning

to touch or feel with the hand

to stroke or caressto grope or feel about in the darkto stealthily take or abstract

VerbNeutral#action#touch#sensation#body movement

Sample Usage

他用手摸了摸口袋。
Tā yòng shǒu mō le mō kǒudài.
He felt around in his pockets with his hands.
这只猫喜欢被人摸。
Zhè zhī māo xǐhuān bèi rén mō.
This cat likes being stroked by people.

2. Sound

/[mɔ˥]/Tone: 55

摸

mōmo1

¯(55)

=mō

Initial Consonant

Type: Bilabial Nasal

Sounds like: m sound like in 'mother'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together lightly to produce the nasal sound, tongue relaxed at the bottom of the mouth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: o rhymes with the 'aw' in 'law'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'aw'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays on a flat, high ceiling pitch, matching a steady musical note.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing it with Tone 4 (mò) or Tone 2 (mó); make sure the pitch stays completely flat and high without dipping or rising.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A level, flat line drawn in mid-air at maximum height, similar to a musical high note sustained without wavering.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

4. Components

Radical 扌 · Hand radical (hands, holding, or hand actions)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 扌 (Indicates that the action is performed using the hand)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 莫 (original sound: mò)

The hand radical (扌) on the left combines with the phonetic element '莫' (mò) on the right to show an action performed by the hand.

扌 Hand action semantic indicator
莫 Phonetic component providing the sound mō/mò

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

24· Phonetic Root: 莫 (mò)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the hand radical (扌) indicating touching and '莫' (mò) providing the phonetic reading, reflecting physical contact using hands.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referring strictly to feeling or stroking with the hand, it later expanded metaphorically to mean groping for ideas, exploring a situation, or stealthily taking items.

The phonetic component '莫' historically depicted the sun setting in the grass, but here it serves purely for pronunciation.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You use your HAND (扌) to touch and STROKE the mysterious sunset monster (莫) in the dark.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

模

mómodel, patternReplaces hand radical with wood (木), indicating a wooden model or mold.

膜

mómembrane, filmReplaces hand radical with flesh/moon (月), indicating bodily membranes or tissue.

莫

mòdo not, noneThe standalone phonetic base without the hand radical.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

模(mó)

模 has the wood radical (木) for molds/models, whereas 摸 has the hand radical (扌) for touching with hands.

膜(mó)

膜 has the flesh radical (月), referring to tissue membranes, unlike 摸 which uses hands.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

他闭上眼睛，在口袋里[___]钱包。

Clue: mō

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the hand radical (扌) with other radicals like wood (木) or flesh (月) when writing derivatives in the phonetic family.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 摸 mean and how do you pronounce it with tones?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to touch or feel with the hand' (mō)?

摸mōto touch, feel, or stroke

Speed:

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