母
mǔ · HSK 6
mother
👩 The two dots on top are like a mother nursing — 女 (woman) plus two strokes
母 builds on 女 (woman) by adding two short strokes inside, historically representing breasts. It extends from 'mother' to mean any origin or source, as a mother is the source of life.
母 — pictograph of kneeling woman with two breast dots
母 is a pictograph derived from 女 (woman) with two added dots representing breasts, marking a nursing mother. The earliest oracle bone forms show a kneeling figure with prominent dots on the chest. The meaning has stayed remarkably stable, denoting 'mother' and by extension 'female' or 'source/origin'.