馬

See also: 马

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

• Index:Chinese radical/馬
• 傌(㐷), 馮(冯), 嗎(吗), 媽(妈), 榪(杩), 瑪(玛), 溤, 獁(犸), 碼(码), 禡(祃), 螞(蚂), 鎷(𨰾), 䣕, 遤, 㾺(𬏜), 罵/駡(骂), 闖(闯), 褭(𬡇)

Related characters

• 马 (Simplified Chinese)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: 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

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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”).

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 馬

1. horse (Classifier: 匹 m; 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).
11. Short for 馬來西亞／马来西亚 (Mǎláixīyà).
12. a surname

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

13. (～村) Ma (a village in Dongsong, Luoning, Luoyang, Henan, China)

Synonyms

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

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		馬
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		馬, 馬匹
Taxonomic name		馬
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	馬, 馬兒
	Taiwan	馬
	Harbin	馬
	Malaysia	馬
	Singapore	馬
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	馬
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	馬
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	馬
	Wanrong	馬
	Xi'an	馬
	Xining	馬, 達冒兒馬
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	馬
	Lanzhou	馬
	Ürümqi	馬
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	馬
	Chongqing	馬, 馬兒
	Wuhan	馬
	Guiyang	馬, 馬兒
	Liuzhou	馬
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	馬
	Yangzhou	馬
	Hefei	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
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	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
Northern Min	Jian'ou	馬
	Jian'ou (Dikou)	馬
	Zhenghe (Zhenqian)	馬
	Pucheng (Shibei)	馬
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	馬
	Matsu	馬
Southern Min	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／帅 (shuài) / 將／将, 仕 (shì) / 士 (shì), 相 / 象 (xiàng), 俥／伡 / 車／车, 傌 / 㐷 / 馬／马 (mǎ), 炮 / 砲／炮, 兵 (bīng) / 卒

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (馬):

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

Others:

• • Lü: ᦙᦱᧉ (maa²)
• (via Teochew)

References

• “Entry #6822”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

(deprecated template usage)

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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

Compounds

• 牛(うし)馬(うま) (ushiuma): a small breed of horse, extinct since 1947
• 海(うみ)馬(うま) (umiuma): seahorse
• 牛(ぎゅう)馬(ば) (gyūba): oxen and horses, beast of burden
• 海(かい)馬(ば) (kaiba): seahorse; walrus; hippocampus
• 河(か)馬(ば) (kaba): hippopotamus, a hippo
• 縞(しま)馬(うま) (shimauma), 斑(しま)馬(うま) (shimauma): zebra
• 騸(せん)馬(ば) (senba): gelding
• 馬酔木(あせび) (asebi), 馬(ば)酔(すい)木(ぼく) (basuiboku): Japanese andromeda
• 馬(うま)面(づら) (umazura): a horseface, a very long face; horse-faced, very long-faced
• 馬(ば)鹿(か) (baka): a fool, an idiot; foolish, idiotic, stupid
• 馬(ば)鹿(かぢ)力(から) (bakajikara): incredible strength; incredibly strong
• 馬(ば)脚(きゃく) (bakyaku)
• 馬(ば)具(ぐ) (bagu): horse harness, horse tack
• 馬(ば)券(けん) (baken)
• 馬(ば)耳(じ)東(とう)風(ふう) (baji tōfū)
• 馬(ば)車(しゃ) (basha): horse-drawn carriage, wagon or cart
• 馬(ば)糧(りょう) (baryō): horse feed

• 馬(ば)車(しゃう)馬(ま) (bashauma)
• 馬(ば)術(じゅつ) (bajutsu): equestrianism, equestrian skills, horsemanship
• 馬(ば)上(じょう) (bajō): on horseback
• 馬(ば)尾(び) (babi): cauda equina
• 馬(ば)力(りき) (bariki): horsepower
• 馬(ば)鈴薯(れいしょ) (bareisho): a potato (Solanum tuberosum)
• 馬(ば)簾(れん) (baren)
• 子(こ)馬(うま) (kōma): a baby horse, a foal
• 馬(ま)子(ご) (mago): packhorse driver
• 馬(ば)手(しゅ) (bashu), 馬(め)手(て) (mete)
• 木(もく)馬(ば) (mokuba): a wooden horse
• 馬陸(やすで) (yasude): millipede
• 騾(ら)馬(ば) (raba): mule
• 驢(ろ)馬(ば) (roba): donkey
• 競(けい)馬(ば) (keiba): a horse race
• 弓(きゅう)馬(ば) (kyūba): archery and horsemanship

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 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”).

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／马 (mǎ, “horse”), and Proto-Indo-European *márkos (“horse”) and descendants such as Irish marc (“horse”, archaic) or English mare (“female horse”). More at *márkos.

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

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.

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

   • 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。

   • c. 935 Tosa Nikki

     けふはあをむまをおもへど、かひなし。

Etymology 3

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

From Middle Chinese 馬 (MC maeX).

Affix

馬(ば) • (ba) 

1. horse

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Korean

Hanja

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

1. horse (in compounds)

Compounds

• 마차 (馬車, macha, “horse-drawn carriage”)
• 경마 (競馬, gyeongma, “horserace”)

See also

• 말 (mal)

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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

From Middle Chinese 馬 (MC maeX, “horse”).

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

Derived terms

• 馬球 (mã cầu)
• 馬力 (mã lực)
• 白馬 (Bạch Mã)
• 兵馬 (binh mã)
• 河馬 (hà mã)
• 飛馬 (Phi Mã)
• 駙馬 (phò mã)
• 天馬 (Thiên Mã)

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”).
   • 1916, Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Lục Vân Tiên (蓼雲僊) [Tale of Lục Vân Tiên], 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”).”)