DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
麥
简 麦 · 繁 麥Mandarin · pinyin mài#
Meanings · mài
- wheat; barley; oats
- mic (abbr. for 麥克風 mài kè fēng)
Mandarin · pinyin Mài#
Meanings · Mài
- surname Mai
Characters in this entry
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4 · mai4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
1character link19same-tone records1source reference
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
maak6 · mak6
Cantonese word readings for 麥. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character · Etymology 1
- general term for wheat, barley, oats, ryes, etc.
- (specifically) wheat
- (Hainanese) corn; maize
- a surname
character · Etymology 2
- (abbreviation, alt-of) short for 麥克風/麦克风 (màikèfēng, “microphone”)
character · Etymology 3
- (abbreviation, alt-of) short for 麥克斯韋/麦克斯韦 (màikèsīwéi, “maxwell”)
character · Etymology 4
- Mc-; Mac-
- (business) Mc- (in the names of McDonald's products)
character · Etymology 5
- Used in transcription.
character · Etymology 6
- (Hokkien) alternative form of 莫 (mài, “don't”)
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack