毛

• Pinyin: máo
• Hanzi breakdown: 毛 = pictograph of hair or fur

Meaning

A unit of currency equal to one-tenth of a yuan; also means hair or fur.

In everyday speech, 毛 is the colloquial way to say one-tenth of a yuan. For example, 五毛 means 0.5 yuan. The formal equivalent is 角. It is also a common surname and can mean hair or fur in other contexts.

Examples

1. 这个苹果两块五毛钱。 This apple costs two yuan and fifty cents.
2. 一块钱是十毛。 One yuan equals ten mao.
3. 找你两毛钱。 Here is twenty cents in change.

Usage Guide

Context: money, shopping

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这个三块五毛。(This costs three yuan and fifty cents.)
• 苹果一块八毛一斤。(Apples are one yuan eighty cents per jin.)

Don't Say

• 在正式收据上写毛。(In formal or written contexts, use 角 instead of 毛 — 毛 is colloquial only)

Origin & History

Originally a pictograph depicting hair or fur. The monetary meaning developed as a colloquial alternative to the formal unit 角 (one-tenth of a yuan).

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal