cat – mou

Written as māo or mao

To remember that cat is pronounced mou (mao) in Mandarin Chinese, use the following mnemonic:

The cat chased the mouse (mou).

Tones

Mou (mouse) is a 1st tone with — as an accent.

Associate mouse, a 1st tone, with a string or tie or tying or knot. See Tones and Mnemonics.

The mouse had a long straight tail.

Remember

mou = 1st  tone =  —