bow

Origin & mnemonic

This radical is an ideograph depicting a bow (weapon). Its curved shape reflects the structure of an archery bow as seen in ancient seal script and oracle-bone script.

Mnemonic: Three flowing strokes curve together to form a bow's shape: two arcs on the sides with a taut string in the middle.

• 张zhāng🔊

  to open up

  HSK 3

  7 strokes

• 弟dì🔊

  younger brother

  HSK 1

  7 strokes

• 弝bà🔊

  the part of a bow grasped when shooting

  7 strokes

• 𫸩kōu🔊

  nock at end of bow

  7 strokes

• 弧hú🔊

  arc

  8 strokes

• 弦xián🔊

  bow string

  HSK 7

  8 strokes

• 弥mí🔊

  brimming or overflowing

  8 strokes

• 弩nǔ🔊

  crossbow

  8 strokes

• 弢tāo🔊

  bow case

  8 strokes

• 弣fǔ🔊

  handle of bow

  8 strokes

• 弤dǐ🔊

  carved bow

  8 strokes

• 弨chāo🔊

  unbent bow

  8 strokes

• 弪jìng🔊

  radian (math.)

  8 strokes

• 弯wān🔊

  to bend

  HSK 4

  9 strokes

• 㢲xùn🔊

  variant of 巽[xun4]

  9 strokes

• 㢴xī🔊

  old variant of 西[xi1]

  9 strokes

• 弫zhěn🔊

  (of a bow) impactful

  9 strokes

• 弭mǐ🔊

  to stop

  9 strokes

• 弮quān🔊

  crossbow (arch.)

  9 strokes

• 弱ruò🔊

  weak; feeble

  HSK 4

  10 strokes

• 弰shāo🔊

  ends of a bow

  10 strokes