Single-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS sub(2)) is a newly emerging two-dimensional semiconductor with a potentially wide range of applications in the fields of nanoelectronics and energy harvesting. The fact that it can be exfoliated down to single-layer thickness makes MoS sub(2) interesting both for practical applications and for fundamental research, where the structure and crystalline order of ultrathin MoS sub(2) will have a strong influence on electronic, mechanical, and other properties. Here, we report on the transmission electron microscopy study of suspended single- and few-layer MoS sub(2) membranes with thicknesses previously determined using both optical identification and atomic force microscopy. Electron microscopy shows that monolayer MoS sub(2) displays long-range crystalline order, although surface roughening has been observed with ripples which can reach 1 nm in height, just as in the case of graphene, implying that similar mechanisms are responsible for the stability of both two-dimensional materials. The observed ripples could explain the degradation of mobility in MoS sub(2) due to exfoliation. We also find that symmetry breaking due to the reduction of the number of layers results in distinctive features in electron-beam diffraction patterns of single- and multilayer MoS sub(2), which could be used as a method for identifying single layers using only electron microscopy. The isolation of suspended single-layer MoS sub(2) membranes will improve our understanding of two-dimensional systems, their stability, and the interplay between their structures, morphologies, and electrical and mechanical properties.