马
mǎ · HSK 3
horse
🐴 Pictograph: ancient form drew a horse's mane, legs, and tail
马 is one of the oldest pictographs — the traditional 馬 still shows four legs at the bottom and a flowing mane on top. Simplified 马 keeps the silhouette: top stroke = head/mane, middle = body, bottom hook = legs.
马 — pictograph of a horse (simplified from 馬)
马 is a pictograph that originally depicted a horse in profile, with mane, legs, and tail clearly visible in the oracle bone and bronze script forms. The traditional form 馬 still preserves four dots representing the legs. The modern simplified form 马 streamlines these strokes but retains the same meaning: horse.