[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/mu/)

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# mu

noun (mu — the Greek letter μ); fragment

«mu» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Mu (μ, M) is the twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet, the Greek m. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#m1)
2. (science, maths) The symbol μ means micro-, one millionth: a μm (micrometre) is a millionth of a metre. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#m2)
3. (Mandarin, pinyin) Mù is a Mandarin syllable; with a falling tone it means tree or wood (木), and also eye (目); it sounds like moo to an English ear. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#m3)
4. (Japanese, Zen) Mu can mean nothing or not having. It is not an ordinary English word. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#m4)
5. In some stories, people chant mu as a sound with no meaning, like a magic word. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#m5)

### In the lessons

In maths and science, μ is used for micro- and, for older pupils, for the average (the mean) and friction. In Mandarin lessons, mù (木) is one of the first characters children see: it looks like a tree. In cartoons, a cow says moo, not mu. Phrases: μm, mu-sign.

### Examples

- Mu is a letter in the Greek alphabet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#x1)
- The symbol μm means micrometre. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#x2)
- In Mandarin, mù means tree. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#x3)
- The Chinese character for tree, 木, is said mù. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#x4)
- Alpha, beta and mu are all Greek letters. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#x5)
- Bacteria are measured in μm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#x6)
- ‘We must bow three times eastwards and say “Mu...mu...mu...”’ [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/#x7)

### Note

Pronounced mew in English (for the Greek letter) and moo in Mandarin. A cow's sound is spelled moo, not mu.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «mu» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mu/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«mu» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/mu.html) on Mova free.