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牜

niú
radical variant

Meanings

  1. 1 cow on left radical (variant of 牛)
  2. 2 left form of the cow/ox radical, Kangxi #93

Tips

usage
牜 is the slimmed left-position form of 牛 (cow/ox). When you see it on the left of a character, expect cattle, livestock, herding, or sacrifice as the semantic root. Never written alone; the standalone form is 牛.
history
Exact origin uncertain as a separate codepoint, but 牜 is best understood as a calligraphic compression of 牛 for side-by-side compounds. The horns and body of the full ox narrow into a vertical column, with the angled top stroke standing in for the curved horns.
usage
Cattle/livestock cue: 物 (thing, originally varied-color cattle), 牧 (herd/shepherd), 特 (special, originally a single bull), 牲 (livestock for sacrifice), 犁 (plow).

Radical

Cattle Kangxi #93

A productive radical for cattle, sacrificial animals, and ox-related work. Strong meaning clue — characters like 物 (thing, originally a colored ox), 牧 (herd), 牢 (pen / sturdy), and 牲 (livestock) all carry it. As the left-side variant 牜 it slims into a vertical strip.

Forms
牛 niú
Default 19 characters
牜 niú
Left 0 characters

Stroke Order

牜 niú