抹

• Pinyin: mǒ
• Hanzi breakdown: 抹 = 扌(hand) + 末(end/tip) — hand wiping to the tip/end of a surface

Meaning

To wipe, smear, or spread a substance onto a surface; to erase or rub away.

Used for applying substances like cream, paint, or butter, and for wiping away tears or erasing marks. Also used figuratively in 抹去 (to erase/eliminate). Common in both daily life and literary contexts.

Examples

1. 她轻轻抹去眼角的泪水，努力让自己显得平静。 She gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eye, trying to look calm.
2. 工人把墙壁抹平之后，才开始刷第一层底漆。 After the workers smoothed the wall, they began applying the first coat of primer.
3. 这段历史不应该被抹去，我们必须正视并从中汲取教训。 This period of history should not be erased; we must face it and draw lessons from it.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, construction, metaphorical

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 把奶油均匀地抹在面包上。(Spread the cream evenly on the bread.)
• 她抹去了黑板上的错字，重新写了一遍。(She erased the wrong character on the blackboard and rewrote it.)

Don't Say

• 用'抹'描述大面积刷漆 (For applying large amounts of paint over broad areas, use 涂 or 刷 — 抹 implies a thinner, smoother spreading motion)

Origin & History

扌(hand radical) + 末(end/tip, phonetic), suggesting the hand motion of wiping along a surface

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal