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."

• 娶qǔ🔊

  to take a wife

  HSK 7

  11 strokes

• 娅yà🔊

  (literary) term of address between husbands of sisters

  11 strokes

• 婚hūn🔊

  (bound form) marriage; wedding

  11 strokes

• 婊biǎo🔊

  prostitute

  11 strokes

• 娄Lóu🔊

  surname Lou

  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

• 妇fù🔊

  woman

  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

• 娲Wā🔊

  surname Wa

  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

• 媄měi🔊

  beautiful

  12 strokes

• 媅dān🔊

  content

  12 strokes

• 媊qián🔊

  planet Venus in the morning

  12 strokes

• 媏duān🔊

  (used in female names) (old)

  12 strokes

• 媒méi🔊

  medium

  12 strokes

• 媕ān🔊

  used in 媕婀[an1 e1]

  12 strokes

• 媞tí🔊

  used as phonetic

  12 strokes

• 媟xiè🔊

  to lust for

  12 strokes

• 媠duò🔊

  old variant of 惰[duo4]

  12 strokes

• 媢mào🔊

  envious

  12 strokes