Definition
Each or every — used before a noun or measure word to mean "every single one" of a group.
Example
她每天早上喝一杯咖啡。
Show translation
She drinks a cup of coffee every morning.
Etymology
每 is one of the oldest Chinese characters, attested on oracle bones (~1200 BCE). Its ancient form depicted a woman (女) with an elaborate headdress, suggesting abundance or fullness — the semantic leap to "every/each" reflects the idea of covering all instances completely. It is unrelated to 美 (měi, beautiful), though they share the same tone and a superficially similar form.
Cultural note
每 appears in dozens of ultra-common time expressions that learners encounter almost immediately: 每天 (měitiān, every day), 每周 (měizhōu, every week), 每年 (měinián, every year). Mandarin requires 每 to be followed by a measure word or time noun — you cannot say 每苹果; you must say 每个苹果 (měi gè píngguǒ, every apple), using the general measure word 个. This 每 + measure word + noun pattern is a foundational grammar building block. False friend warning: 每 (měi, every) looks similar to 美 (měi, beautiful/America) — same pinyin, same tone, completely different meaning and character.