毛
fur, hair, feather, down
Readings
On'yomi
- モウ
Kun'yomi
- け
Nanori
- めん
- も
Meaning
毛 centers on fine, soft body coverings: fur, hair, feathers, and down. It captures the idea of thin, thread-like growths on animals or birds.
Most common words using 毛
20 of 400- 毛けN4
hair
- 脱毛だつもう
hair loss
- 髪の毛かみのけN3
hair (on the head); (a) hair
- 毛穴けあな
pore (of the skin)
- 毛布もうふN3
blanket
- 毛皮けがわN2
fur; skin; pelt
- 眉毛まゆげN3
eyebrow
- 陰毛いんもう
pubic hair
- まつ毛まつげN3
eyelashes
- 羽毛うもう
feather; plume; plumage; down
- 不毛ふもうN1
barren; sterile; infertile
- 羊毛ようもうN2
wool
- 赤毛あかげ
red hair; ginger hair
- 育毛いくもう
hair restoration; new hair growth
- 体毛たいもう
body hair
- 毛髪もうはつ
hair
- 薄毛うすげ
thinning hair; sparse hair (as in balding)
- 毛根もうこん
hair root
- 毛沢東もうたくとう
Mao Zedong (1893.12.26-1976.9.9); Mao Tse-tung
- 鼻毛はなげ
nasal hair; nose hair
Study
Etymology
毛 is a pictograph of fine hair or fur, with the strokes representing thin, curved strands.
Meaning mnemonic
The four strokes look like thin, curved hairs growing from a surface. Picture a tuft of fur or a feather: 毛 is hair.
Reading mnemonic
For モウ, imagine a mound of soft fur: mound -> モウ, and the mound is made of fluffy 毛.