woman

Origin & mnemonic

This radical originates from a pictograph in oracle-bone and seal scripts, depicting the form of a woman with arms crossed or raised in prayer. Over time, this image was simplified into the three distinctive curved strokes we see today.

Mnemonic: Three curved strokes hugged together like the silhouette of a woman's body — easy to remember as "woman."

• 娟juān🔊

  beautiful

  10 strokes

• 娣dì🔊

  wife of a younger brother

  10 strokes

• 娉pīng🔊

  used in 娉婷[ping1 ting2]

  10 strokes

• 娌lǐ🔊

  used in 妯娌[zhou2 li5]

  10 strokes

• 娑suō🔊

  (phonetic)

  10 strokes

• 娒méi🔊

  (used in personal names)

  10 strokes

• 娓wěi🔊

  used in 娓娓[wei3 wei3]

  10 strokes

• 娚nán🔊

  old variant of 喃[nan2]

  10 strokes

• 娱yú🔊

  to amuse

  10 strokes

• 娠shēn🔊

  pregnant

  10 strokes

• 娭āi🔊

  see 娭姐[ai1 jie3], father's mother

  10 strokes

• 娲Wā🔊

  surname Wa

  10 strokes

• 娴xián🔊

  variant of 嫻|娴[xian2]

  10 strokes

• 婀ē🔊

  graceful

  10 strokes

• 娶qǔ🔊

  to take a wife

  HSK 7

  11 strokes

• 婚hūn🔊

  (bound form) marriage; wedding

  11 strokes

• 婊biǎo🔊

  prostitute

  11 strokes

• 婆pó🔊

  (bound form) grandmother

  11 strokes

• 婬yín🔊

  obscene, licentious, lewd

  11 strokes

• 婶shěn🔊

  wife of father's younger brother

  11 strokes

• 娵jū🔊

  (feminine name)

  11 strokes

• 娸qí🔊

  to ridicule

  11 strokes

• 娼chāng🔊

  prostitute

  11 strokes

• 婉wǎn🔊

  graceful

  11 strokes

• 婐wǒ🔊

  (archaic) maid

  11 strokes

• 婕jié🔊

  used in 婕妤[jie2 yu2]

  11 strokes

• 婞xìng🔊

  upright

  11 strokes

• 婢bì🔊

  slave girl

  11 strokes

• 婤zhōu🔊

  (feminine name)

  11 strokes

• 婥chuò🔊

  used in 婥約|婥约[chuo4 yue1]

  11 strokes

• 婧jìng🔊

  (literary) (of a woman) slender; delicate

  11 strokes

• 婨lún🔊

  (used in female names) (old)

  11 strokes

• 婪lán🔊

  old variant of 婪[lan2]

  11 strokes

• 婮jū🔊

  (used in female names)

  11 strokes

• 婳huà🔊

  tranquil

  11 strokes

• 婴yīng🔊

  infant

  11 strokes

• 婵chán🔊

  used in 嬋娟|婵娟[chan2 juan1] and 嬋媛|婵媛[chan2 yuan2]

  11 strokes

• 婼chuò🔊

  recalcitrant

  11 strokes

• 媖yīng🔊

  (complimentary name for a woman)

  11 strokes

• 嫏láng🔊

  used in 嫏嬛[Lang2 huan2]

  11 strokes

• 媚mèi🔊

  (bound form) to flatter

  12 strokes

• 婷tíng🔊

  graceful

  12 strokes

• 媛yuàn🔊

  (bound form) beautiful woman (in practice, often pronounced [yuan2])

  12 strokes

• 嫂sǎo🔊

  (bound form) older brother's wife; sister-in-law

  12 strokes

• 婹yǎo🔊

  svelte

  12 strokes

• 婺wù🔊

  beautiful

  12 strokes

• 婽jiǎ🔊

  good

  12 strokes

• 婿xù🔊

  son-in-law

  12 strokes