What 乂 means
It means “mow” or “govern,” depending on context. Oracle-bone writing (inscriptions carved on bone) and bronze inscriptions trace its early written forms.
Classical texts extend “cut” to regulating, settling, or nurturing; 俊乂 names an accomplished person. Mandarin yì sounds like “ee” with falling pitch; Japanese readings include gai, karu (“mow”), and osameru (“govern”).
Classical and literary in Chinese; readings vary between Mandarin and Japanese.
As of 2026, 乂 sent alone has no established chat meaning; ask the sender.
Who writes 乂
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Related characters
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More like this
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Collections with 乂
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How to type or find 乂
- Search it as
- 乂 meaning · 乂 origin · 乂 Japanese reading · 乂 Cangjie input · 刈 · 艾 · 辥
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
Windows (Word)
Windows
HTML
乂CSS
\4E42Cangjie
In the shape-based Chinese Cangjie input method, tables list 大 (K); 難大 (XK) is an alternate code.
Codes and encoding1 code points
HTML decimal
乂
HTML hex
乂
CSS content
content: "\4E42";
Each escape is closed by the next backslash; a trailing space is needed before a literal hex digit.
URL encoded
%E4%B9%82
1
On screen
1
Code points
1
JS .length
3
UTF-8 bytes
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.