牛

niú
#1,016 most
frequent character
stubborn, brave, awesome
adjective
Measure words:条 tiáo,头 tóu

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

牛 is a picture of the front of a bull's head, so it first meant 'cow, bull.' It grew to ox or cattle, then to strong, and to adept. The 'boast, brag' sense was borrowed for its sound, as in 吹牛 chuīniú.

Drawn as: front of bull's head

牛 as a component in other characters

meaning19 characters
件牺牟犁犟犄犒牝牯犍荦牾犋犏牿犪
picture7 characters
解牵牢犀犊牦犂

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Example Sentences

他真牛！
tā zhēn niú ！
He is really awesome!
这件事做得很牛。
zhè jiàn shì zuò déhěn niú 。
This thing is done very bravely.
她的表现真牛，赢得了比赛。
tāde biǎoxiàn zhēn niú ， yíngde le bǐsài 。
Her performance was really impressive, she won the competition.

Same Characters, Different Readings

牛Niu2
surname Niu

Words with similar meanings

厉害lìhài
terrific
这词语通常用于形容某事物非常出色，常用在口语中，感觉更加口语化。
牛逼niúbī
awesome
这是一个更加非正式和口语化的表达，常用于年轻人之间。

Words Starting With 牛

牛奶niú nǎi
"cow's milk
牛仔裤niú zǎi kù
jeans

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