默
silent, quiet
At a glance · 默
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 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、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
小篆从黑犬声,形声字,本指犬静不出声,引申为沉默。隶楷作「默」。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
「默」本指不语、寂静,引申为暗自、默写。
Structure
形声字,黑为意符,犬为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinmò
Radical黑
Strokes16
UnicodeU+9ED8
Character type形声
Theme状态
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
silent, quiet
Silent, quiet; to do silently.
Français
silencieux, tacit
Silencieux, calme; faire en silence.
Español
silencioso, callado
Silencioso, callado; hacer en silencio.
العربية
صامت، ساكن
صامت أو ساكن أو بصمت.
Русский
молчаливый, тихий
Молчаливый, тихий; молча, про себя.
Common words
- 沉默chén mòsilent
- 默mòsilent