adjective HSK 7-9 #5,324

Meanings

  1. 1 hemp; flax
  2. 2 numb; tingling
  3. 3 pockmarked; rough

Examples

Máfan nǐ bāng wǒ yíxià.
Sorry to trouble you, could you help me?
Wǒ de shǒu má le.
My hand has gone numb.
Mápódòufu shì Sìchuān míngcài.
Mapo tofu is a famous Sichuan dish.

Tips

usage
is used in: 麻烦 (trouble/sorry to bother you), 麻木 (numb), 麻将 (mahjong), 芝麻 (sesame). In Sichuan cuisine, refers to the numbing spicy sensation from Sichuan peppercorns.
culture
麻辣 (má là, numbing-spicy) is the signature flavor of Sichuan cuisine. The (numbing tingle from Sichuan peppercorns) is distinct from (chili heat) - together they create a unique sensation.

Components

pictograph
hemp; numb
Compound pictograph: 广 (lean-to shed) sheltering two hemp-fibre stalks (historically , not literal trees). The char depicts hemp being processed under a roof. is Kangxi radical 200 and the parent of , , . Treated as a single self-component because the radical and the char are identical.

Stroke Order