牛

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ox; cow; bull; CL:條|条[tiao2],頭|头[tou2]; newton (abbr. for 牛頓|牛顿[niu2 dun4]); (slang) awesome

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Pictograph (象形字)

An ox's horned head

cow · Heisig RSH #252

— as a component also called: cow

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
牛奶	niú nǎi	cow's milk; CL:瓶[ping2],杯[bei1]
牛性子	niú xìng zi	see 牛性[niu2 xing4]
水牛儿	shuǐ niú r	(dialect) snail
金牛区	Jīn niú Qū	Jinniu, a district of Chengdu City 成都市[Cheng2 du1 Shi4], Sichuan
比利牛斯山	Bǐ lì niú sī shān	Pyrenees mountains
牛头不对马嘴	niú tóu bù duì mǎ zuǐ	see 驢唇不對馬嘴\|驴唇不对马嘴[lu : 2 chun2 bu4 dui4 ma3 zui3]
安格斯牛	Ān gé sī niú	Angus, Scottish breed of beef cattle
比利牛斯	Bǐ lì niú sī	Pyrenees mountains
牛子	niú zǐ	(dialect) penis
大牛	dà niú	(coll.) leading light; superstar; badass; (coll.) higher-priced model of Lamborghini
牛人	niú rén	(coll.) leading light; true expert; badass
水牛	shuǐ niú	water buffalo
牛市	niú shì	bull market
牛头	Niú Tóu	Ox-Head, one of the two guardians of the underworld in Chinese mythology
牛头	niú tóu	ox head; ox-head shaped wine vessel
牛心	niú xīn	mulishness; obstinacy
天牛	tiān niú	Longhorn beetle
牛马	niú mǎ	oxen and horses; beasts of burden; (fig.) drudge; laborer
小牛	xiǎo niú	calf; (coll.) lower-priced model of Lamborghini
牛性	niú xìng	mulishness; obstinacy