Chinese symbol for “numb”
麻木
má mù
numb; insensitive; apathetic
The closest CC-CEDICT match for numb is 麻木 (má mù), defined as: numb; insensitive; apathetic.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “numb”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 木 | mù | (bound form) tree; (bound form) wood |
| 不知痛痒 (不知痛癢) | bù zhī tòng yǎng | numb; unfeeling |
| 不仁 | bù rén | not benevolent; heartless |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 麻木.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 麻烦 (麻煩) | má fan | trouble; inconvenience; inconvenient; troublesome; annoying |
| 大麻 | dà má | hemp (Cannabis sativa); cannabis |
| 麻将 (麻將) | má jiàng | mahjong; measure word: 局 (jú), 副 (fù) |
| 麻醉 | má zuì | anesthesia; to anesthetize; (fig.) to corrupt (sb's mind); to enervate; to numb the mind (to escape from harsh reality) |
| 麻雀 | má què | sparrow; (dialect) mahjong |
| 木材 | mù cái | wood |
| 树木 (樹木) | shù mù | tree |
| 木头 (木頭) | mù tou | wood; log (块 (kuài),根 (gēn)); (fig.) blockhead; dolt |
See also: Japanese symbol for “numb”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.