墨 mò — ink · English

墨

mò

ink

At a glance · 墨

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

墨字小篆从黑从土，会意为黑土（烟煤和胶），本义为墨。甲骨文未见。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

墨本义为书写用的墨（黑土和胶）。

Structure

会意字，从黑从土，表示黑土所制之墨。

At a glance

Pinyinmò

Radical土

Strokes15

UnicodeU+58A8

Character type会意

Theme器物

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English ink Mo is an associative character of black and earth, meaning ink.

Français encre Mo est un caractère associatif de noir et terre, signifiant encre.

Español tinta Mo es un carácter asociativo de negro y tierra, significa tinta.

العربية حبر مو حرف تركيبي لأسود وتربة، يعني الحبر.

Русский тушь, чернила Мо — ассоциативный знак чёрного и земли, означает тушь.

Common words

墨水mò shuǐink
笔墨bǐ mòpen and ink

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