馬

See also: 马

馬 U+99AC, 馬 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-99AC ← 馫 [U+99AB] CJK Unified Ideographs 馭 → [U+99AD]

⾺ U+2FBA, ⾺ KANGXI RADICAL HORSE ← ⾹ [U+2FB9] Kangxi Radicals ⾻ → [U+2FBB]

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order (Hong Kong)

Han character

馬 (Kangxi radical 187, 馬+0, 10 strokes, cangjie input 尸手尸火 (SQSF), four-corner 7132₇, composition ⿹⿺㇉⿻三丨灬)

1. Kangxi radical #187, ⾺.

Derived characters

• Appendix:Chinese radical/馬
• 傌(㐷), 馮(冯), 嗎(吗), 𡏢, 媽(妈), 𫹞, 𢲫, 榪(杩), 瑪(玛), 溤, 獁(犸), 䧞, 𤌬, 𤚴, 𦟐, 𥉊, 碼(码), 禡(祃), 𥡗, 𧜗, 𦄀, 𦟖, 螞(蚂), 𧪨, 𧽙, 𮜃, 𨉸, 𨎇, 𠓄, 𣜋, 鎷(𨰾), 䩻, 䬚, 鰢, 鷌
• 𠺎, 䣕, 䣖, 颿, 𢟀, 𭊢, 𠖖, 䔍, 遤, 𫨑, 𢉿, 㾺(𬏜), 𥧓, 𦋻, 罵/駡(骂), 篤(笃), 闖(闯), 𮫕, 𡈊, 褭(𬡇), 隲

Related characters

• 马 (Simplified Chinese)

References

• KangXi: page 1433, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 44572
• Dae Jaweon: page 1956, character 34
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 7, page 4539, character 1
• Unihan data for U+99AC

---

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 馬
Shang		Western Zhou	Spring and Autumn	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)			Liushutong (compiled in Ming)	Libian (compiled in Qing)
Bronze inscriptions	Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Shizhoupian script	Ancient script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts	Clerical script

Characters in the same phonetic series (馬) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
馬	*mraːʔ
碼	*mraːʔ
罵	*mraːʔ, *mraːs
鷌	*mraːʔ
鰢	*mraːʔ
瑪	*mraːʔ
榪	*mraːs
傌	*mraːs
禡	*mraːs
媽	*maːʔ

Semi-cursive script	Cursive script

Pictogram (象形) – a horse with its head facing the left, showing a flowing mane in the wind. In the bronze inscriptions, the head was often simplified into an eye (目). The legs eventually evolved into four dots (灬, unrelated to 火).

Contrast with 鹿 (“deer”), which saw a very different development, and 𢊁 (as in 薦), which is a hybrid: it has the legs of 馬 (灬) but the head of 鹿.

Etymology

trad.		馬
simp.		马
alternative forms		𫠉 傌／骂 𢒗 𢒠 𢒧 𫠉 傌／骂 𢒗 𢒠 𢒧 𩡬 𩡮 抹 Sichuan senses 碼／码 “to bully”

“Horse” – from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *k-m-raŋ ~ s-raŋ. The sense of “big” is derived from “horse”; compare the English uses of horse.

For the insect prefix sense, see 螞. It has converged with the sense of “big”.

The surname is popularly known to be prevalent among Hui Muslims, where it is likely derived from Arabic مُحَمَّد‎ (muḥammad, “Muhammad”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): mǎ (ma³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄚˇ

  (Chengdu, SP): ma³

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): ма (ma, II)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou, Jyutping): maa⁵

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): ma⁴

• Gan (Wiktionary): ma³
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): mâ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): ma¹

• Jin (Wiktionary): ma²
• Min Bei (KCR): mǎ
• Min Dong (BUC): mā
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): bé / bée / má

  (Teochew, Peng'im): bhê² / ma² / ma⁶

• Wu (Wiktionary): mo (T3); ma (T3)
• Xiang (Wiktionary): ma³

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mǎ
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄚˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mǎ
    • Wade–Giles: ma³
    • Yale: mǎ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: maa
    • Palladius: ма (ma)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mä²¹⁴/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: ma³
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: maa
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ma⁵³/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: ма (ma, II)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ma⁵¹/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: maa⁵
    • Yale: máh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: maa⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: ma⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /maː¹³/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: ma⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ᵐba²¹/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: ma³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ma²¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mâ
    • Hakka Romanization System: ma´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: ma¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ma²⁴/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: ma¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ma⁴⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: ma²
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /ma⁵³/
• Min Bei
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: mǎ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ma²¹/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: mā
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ma³³/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bé
    • Tâi-lô: bé
    • Phofsit Daibuun: bea
    • IPA (Xiamen, Taipei): /be⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /be⁴¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /be⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bée
    • Tâi-lô: bée
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /bɛ⁵³/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: má
    • Tâi-lô: má
    • Phofsit Daibuun: mar
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /mã⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /mã⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /mã⁴¹/

Note:

• bé/bée - vernacular;
• má - literary (incl. surname).

• (Teochew)
  • Peng'im: bhê² / ma² / ma⁶
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: bé / má / mă
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /be⁵²/, /ma⁵²/, /ma³⁵/

Note:

• bhê2 - vernacular (incl. surname);
• ma2 - literary (used in 馬上, 馬虎);
• ma6 - dialectal usage ("careless, sloppy").

Wu

• (Shanghainese)
  • Wiktionary: mo (T3); ma (T3)
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mo²³/, /ma̱²³/

Xiang

• (Changsha)
  • Wiktionary: ma³
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ma̠⁴¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: /mˠa^X/

Rime
Character	馬
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)
Final (韻)	麻 (98)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	莫下切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mˠaX/
Pan Wuyun	/mᵚaX/
Shao Rongfen	/maX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/maɨX/
Li Rong	/maX/
Wang Li	/maX/
Bernard Karlgren	/maX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	mǎ
Expected Cantonese Reflex	maa5

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*mˤraʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*mraːʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	馬
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	mǎ
Middle Chinese	‹ mæX ›
Old Chinese	/*mˁraʔ/
English	horse
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	馬
Reading #	1/1
No.	8715
Phonetic component	馬
Rime group	魚
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	馬
Old Chinese	/*mraːʔ/

Definitions

馬

1. horse (Classifier: 匹 m c; 隻／只 m c)
2. horse-shaped
3. (chess) knight
4. (xiangqi) knight; horse (on the black side)
5. Original form of 碼／码 (mǎ, “chip for counting”).
6. big (prefix for nouns)

   馬勺／马勺  ―  mǎsháo  ―  ladle (big spoon)

7. (Southwestern Mandarin, including Sichuanese) to bully
8. (Sichuanese) to keep a straight face
9. Prefix for names of insects, also written as 螞.
10. Short for 馬祖／马祖 (Mǎzǔ, “Matsu”).
11. Short for 馬來西亞／马来西亚 (Mǎláixīyà, “Malaysia”).
12. (Mainland China) Short for 馬克思／马克思 (Mǎkèsī, “Marx”).
13. a surname

    馬步芳／马步芳  ―  Mǎ Bùfāng  ―  Ma Bufang (Chinese warlord and member of Ma clique)

    馬英九／马英九  ―  Mǎ Yīngjiǔ  ―  Ma Ying-jeou (President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), 2008-2016)

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 馬 (“horse”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		馬
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		馬, 馬匹
Taxonomic name		馬
Mandarin	Beijing	馬, 馬兒
	Taiwan	馬
	Harbin	馬
	Yantai (Muping)	馬
	Jinan	馬
	Luoyang	馬
	Wanrong	馬
	Xi'an	馬
	Yinchuan	馬
	Lanzhou	馬
	Xining	馬, 達冒兒馬
	Ürümqi	馬
	Wuhan	馬
	Chengdu	馬
	Chongqing	馬, 馬兒
	Guiyang	馬, 馬兒
	Liuzhou	馬
	Yangzhou	馬
	Nanjing	馬
	Hefei	馬
	Malaysia	馬
	Singapore	馬
Cantonese	Guangzhou	馬
	Hong Kong	馬
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	馬
	Macau	馬
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	馬
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	馬
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	馬
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	馬
	Foshan	馬
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	馬
	Foshan (Shunde)	馬
	Foshan (Sanshui)	馬
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	馬
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	馬
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	馬
	Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka)	馬
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	馬
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	馬
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	馬
	Taishan	馬
	Kaiping (Chikan)	馬
	Enping (Niujiang)	馬
	Heshan (Yayao)	馬
	Dongguan	馬
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	馬
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	馬
	Singapore (Guangfu)	馬
Gan	Nanchang	馬
	Lichuan	馬
	Pingxiang	馬
Hakka	Meixian	馬
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	馬
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	馬
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	馬
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	馬
	Conghua (Lütian)	馬
	Yudu	馬
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	馬仔
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	馬仔
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	馬
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	馬
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	馬
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	馬
	Sungai Tapang, Batu Kawa (Hepo)	馬
	Singkawang	馬
Huizhou	Jixi	馬
Jin	Taiyuan	馬兒, 馬
Min Bei	Jian'ou	馬
	Jian'ou (Dikou)	馬
	Zhenghe (Zhenqian)	馬
	Pucheng (Shibei)	馬
Min Dong	Fuzhou	馬
	Matsu	馬
Min Nan	Xiamen	馬
	Quanzhou	馬
	Zhangzhou	馬
	Zhao'an	馬
	Kaohsiung	馬
	Yilan	馬
	Changhua (Lukang)	馬
	Taichung	馬
	Taichung (Wuqi)	馬
	Tainan	馬
	Taitung	馬
	Hsinchu	馬
	Penghu (Magong)	馬
	Penang (Hokkien)	馬
	Singapore (Hokkien)	馬
	Manila (Hokkien)	馬
	Chaozhou	馬
	Shantou	馬
	Shantou (Chenghai)	馬
	Haifeng	馬
	Singapore (Teochew)	馬
	Leizhou	馬
	Haikou	馬
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	馬
Wu	Shanghai	馬
	Shanghai (Chongming)	馬
	Suzhou	馬
	Danyang	馬
	Hangzhou	馬, 馬兒
	Ningbo	馬
	Wenzhou	馬
	Jinhua	馬
Xiang	Changsha	馬
	Loudi	馬
	Shuangfeng	馬

Coordinate terms

• (Chinese chess pieces) 帥/將, 仕/士, 相/象, 俥/車, 傌/馬, 炮/砲, 兵/卒

Compounds

• See 馬/derived terms § Horse (Chinese).

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (馬):

• → Japanese: 馬(ば) (ba)
• → Korean: 마 (馬, ma)
• → Vietnamese: mã (馬, “(xiangqi) horse; (chess) knight”)

Others:

• → Proto-Tai: *maːꟲ (“horse”)
  • Northern Tai
    • Zhuang: max
  • Central Tai
    • Tày: mạ
    • Nung: mạ
    • Nong Zhuang: max
  • Proto-Southwestern Tai:
    • Ahom: 𑜉𑜠 (ma), 𑜉𑜡 (mā), 𑜉𑜡𑜠 (māa)
    • Thai: ม้า (máa)
    • Northern Thai: ᨾ᩶ᩣ
    • Lao: ມ້າ (mā)
    • Lü: ᦙᦱᧉ (maa²)
    • Tai Dam: ꪣ꫁ꪱ
    • Shan: မႃႉ (mâ̰a)
    • Tai Nüa: ᥛᥣᥳ (mȧa)
• → Thai: เบ๊ (bée, “horse”) (via Teochew)

See also

• (Chinese zodiac signs) 鼠 (shǔ), 牛 (niú), 虎 (hǔ), 兔 (tù), 龍／龙 (lóng), 蛇 (shé), 馬／马 (mǎ), 羊 (yáng), 猴 (hóu), 雞／鸡 (jī), 狗 (gǒu), 豬／猪 (zhū) ^{(Category: zh:Chinese zodiac)}

Chess pieces in Chinese · 國際象棋棋子 (layout · text)
王 (wáng), 國王／国王 (guówáng)	后 (hòu), 皇后 (huánghòu)	車／车 (jū), 城堡 (chéngbǎo)	象 (xiàng), 主教 (zhǔjiào)	馬／马 (mǎ), 騎士／骑士 (qíshì)	兵 (bīng)

References

• “馬”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[2], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• “Entry #6822”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (in Chinese and Min Nan), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2011.

---

Japanese

Kanji

Stroke order (Japan)

馬

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. horse

Readings

• Go-on: め (me)
• Kan-on: ば (ba, Jōyō)
• Kan’yō-on: ま (ma)
• Kun: うま (uma, 馬, Jōyō); ま (ma, 馬, Jōyō ^†)

Compounds

• See 馬/derived terms § Horse (Japanese).

Etymology 1

馬 (uma, muma): a pair of horses.

Kanji in this term
馬
うま Grade: 2
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. Recorded in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE as having been brought over from the Korean peninsula kingdom of Baekje, with the earlier reading of ma. The initial m sound was apparently emphasized, possibly similar to *mma, becoming then uma or muma, via processes also seen in the word 梅 (ume, mume, “plum”). However, Pellard simply reconstructs Proto-Japonic *uma and treats the mentioned processes as secondary.

The ma sound denoting "horse" is common to a number of languages of central Asia, where horses were first domesticated, suggesting a possible cognate root. Compare Manchu ᠮᠣᡵᡳᠨ (morin, “horse”), Mongolian морь (morʹ, “horse”), Korean 말 (mal, “horse”), Mandarin 馬 (mǎ, “horse”), and Proto-Indo-European *márkos (“horse”) and descendants such as Irish marc (“horse”, archaic) or English mare (“female horse”). More at *márkos.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) うま​ [ùmáꜜ] (Odaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ᵝma̠]

Noun

馬(うま) • (uma)  (counter 匹)

1. a horse
2. (shogi) a promoted bishop
3. a sawhorse: a four-leg stand made of wood or iron for supporting other materials

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ウマ.

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
馬
むま Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Shift from uma form, becoming more common starting from the Heian Period. This change later reverted, and muma is now considered obsolete.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mɯ̟ᵝma̠]

Noun

馬(むま) • (muma) 

1. (obsolete) a horse
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4372)

     阿志加良能 美佐可多麻波理 可閇理美須 阿例波久江由久 阿良志乎母 多志夜波婆可流 不破乃世伎 久江弖和波由久 牟麻能都米 都久志能佐伎尓 知麻利為弖 阿例波伊波々牟 母呂々々波 佐祁久等麻乎須 可閇利久麻弖尓

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   • c. 935 Tosa Nikki

     ふぢはらのときざね、ふなぢなれど、むまのはなむけす。

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   • c. 935 Tosa Nikki

     けふはあをむまをおもへど、かひなし。

     Today even thinking about the blue horse [New Year's festival] is in vain.

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
馬
ば Grade: 2
kan’on

From Middle Chinese 馬 (MC mˠa^X). The 漢音 (kan'on), so a later borrowing. Compare Min Nan 馬 (bé, bée, má) where some of the readings show a shift from initial nasal /m-/ to voiced plosive /b-/.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ba̠]

Affix

馬(ば) • (ba) 

1. horse

   競(けい)馬(ば)

   keiba

   horse racing

---

Korean

Hanja

馬 (eumhun 말 마 (mal ma))
馬 (eumhun 성 마 (seong ma))

1. Hanja form^? of 마 (“horse (in compounds)”).

Compounds

• 마차 (馬車, macha, “horse-drawn carriage”)
• 경마 (競馬, gyeongma, “horserace”)
• 천리마 (千里馬, cheollima, “mythical winged horse”)

See also

• 말 (mal)

---

Okinawan

Kanji

馬

Readings

• Kun: っんま ('nma)

Etymology

/ʔuma/ → /ʔɴ̩ma/

Cognate with Japanese 馬.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʔm̩ma]

Noun

馬 (hiragana っんま, rōmaji 'nma)

1. a horse

   馬(っんま)ー草(くさ)ゆ食(か)むん。

   'Nmā kusa yu kamun.

   The horse eats grass.

References

• “っんま・ぅんま【馬】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.

---

Vietnamese

Han character

馬: Hán Việt readings: mã (莫(mạc)下(hạ)切(thiết))
馬: Nôm readings: mựa, mã, mở, mứa, mả, mỡ, ngựa

Etymology 1

Noun

馬 • (mã)

1. chữ Hán form of mã (“horse”).
2. chữ Hán form of mã (“(xiangqi) a knight; any piece labeled with 馬”).

Derived terms

• See 馬/derived terms § Horse (Vietnamese).

Etymology 2

Adjective

馬 • (mứa)

1. Nôm form of mứa (“excessive”).

Etymology 3

Verb

馬 • (mựa)

1. Nôm form of mựa (“(dialectal) don't”).

Etymology 4

Noun

馬 • (mả)

1. Nôm form of mả (“tomb; grave”).
   • 19th century, Nguyễn Đình Chiểu (阮廷沼), Lục Vân Tiên (蓼雲僊) [Tale of Lục Vân Tiên], published 1916, lines 921–922:

     小(tiểu)童(đồng)庄(chẳng)及(kịp)哙(hỏi)㗍(han)
     𦣰(nằm)陵(lăn)边(bên)馬(mả)哭(khóc)嘆(than)徘(bồi)徊(hồi)

     Before the page has a chance to pay a visit,
     He throws himself down upon the grave, crying, lamenting, fretting.

Etymology 5

Verb

馬 • (mở)

1. Nôm form of mở (“to open”).

Etymology 6

Noun

馬 • (ngựa)

1. Alternative form of 馭 (“Nôm form of ngựa (“horse”).”)