méi

not have

Original meaning: 

reach into the water to grab something

Depicts a hand reaching in the water to grab something. The meaning later expanded to "drown", "disappear", and "not have".

Components
氵 meaning component

  Meaning component

shuishuǐ

  

water

is a component form of .

回 iconic component

  Iconic component

huí

  

return

Depicts the rippling surface of water.

又 iconic component

  Iconic component

yòu

  

(hand), again

Depicts a hand.

Evolution

沒 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
沒 Clerical script Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Clerical script

Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)
沒 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

() 

méi

not, have not, none; to drown, sink; (negative prefix for verbs); have not; not

() 

drowned; to end; to die; to inundate

Most common words with 沒
Freq.
Word
Meaning

没有

haven't

not

没什么

nothing

没关系

it doesn't matter

从没

never did