VocabularyHSK 3 · core

马虎

mǎhu

careless

Part of speech · adjective

Pattern visualization

馬horse

Show stroke order animation

Numbers10 strokes · 6.9s

See full reference →

Examples

他做事很马虎。
He does things carelessly.
别马虎!
Don't be careless!

Collocations

很马虎马马虎虎别马虎

Mnemonic

马虎 mǎhu "careless, sloppy" — literal "horse + tiger", but meaning unrelated to either animal (likely sound-based). Reduplication 马马虎虎 means "so-so, mediocre" — common reply to "How are you?".

Quick check

Meaning of 马马虎虎?