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Kotomora

孟

chief, beginning

JLPTN1StatusJinmeiyōFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes8

Readings

On'yomi

  • モウ
  • ボウ
  • ミョウ

Kun'yomi

  • かしら

Nanori

  • たけし
  • たけ
  • はる
  • はじめ

Meaning

孟 centers on the idea of being first or foremost: a chief, leader, or the beginning of something. The two given meanings are closely linked, with 'chief' as the person who is first and 'beginning' as the initial stage.

Most common words using 孟

  • 孟子もうし

    Mencius (372-289 BCE); Mengzi

  • 孔孟こうもう

    Confucius and Mencius

  • 孔孟の教えこうもうのおしえ

    the teachings of Confucius and Mencius

  • 孟冬もうとう

    beginning of winter

  • 孟夏もうか

    beginning of summer

  • 孟女もうじょ

    eldest daughter

  • 孟宗もうそう

    moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens)

  • 孟宗の節もうそうのふし

    root of a moso bamboo

  • 孟宗竹もうそうちく

    moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens); tall bamboo cultivated for its edible shoots

  • 孟春もうしゅん

    beginning of spring

  • 孟母三遷もうぼさんせん

    the importance of creating an environment conducive to a child's learning; Mencius' mother, three moves

  • 孟母三遷の教えもうぼさんせんのおしえ

    the importance of creating an environment conducive to a child's learning

  • 孟母断機の教えもうぼだんきのおしえ

    (the lesson that) one should not leave things unfinished

  • 孟浪もうろう

    careless; incoherent; sloppy; negligent

  • 孟秋もうしゅう

    beginning of autumn

  • 論孟ろんもう

    the Confucian Analects and the Discourses of Mencius

Explore all words using 孟 →

Study

Etymology

孟 combines 子 (child) and 皿 (dish), but the historical origin is not simply a child with a dish. It is thought to originally depict a child being washed in a vessel, symbolizing the first or eldest, though the exact development is uncertain.

Meaning mnemonic

Imagine the first-born child (子) being placed in a ceremonial dish (皿) to mark the beginning of a lineage. The child is the chief, the first in line.

Reading mnemonic

For モウ, picture a chief mowing down obstacles at the very beginning of a project: mow -> モウ, and the chief leads the way.