某 (mǒu) - Certain & some

某Tone 3

mǒu ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

妙慕

某 · mǒu

Certain;

some;

a particular unspecified person or thing;

used as a placeholder for names or things one doesn't wish to specify directly.

Certainsomea particular unspecified person or thing

Usage highlights

SomeoneSome kindSome timeA certain placeA certain dayA certain year

Synonyms

  • 某— certain/some (same character, different usage)

Antonyms

  • 确— definite/certain (as opposed to unspecified)
  • 定— fixed/determined

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Someone told me (某人告诉我).
  • At a certain time (在某个时间).
  • Some kind of reason (某种原因).
  • A certain Mr. Wang (王某).

Collocations

  • Someone(某人)
  • Some kind(某种)
  • Some time(某时)
  • A certain place(某地)
  • A certain day(某日)
  • A certain year(某年)

Idioms

  • A certain person(某某人)
  • A certain thing(某某事)
  • In some aspects(某方面)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Used as a polite way to refer to someone without naming them directly, common in legal and formal contexts.
  • In historical texts, used to refer to people whose names were unknown or intentionally omitted.
  • Common in modern bureaucratic and administrative language as a placeholder.

FAQ