匕 (bǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “an ancient spoon”. It is written from 乚 (bent hook) and 丿 (left-falling stroke), one enclosing the other, and takes 2 strokes.
Build the character for “dagger; ancient spoon”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
乚 + 丿
Enclosing structure
Structure from: makemeahanzi dictionary modern decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke data
Memory aid
A left-falling stroke (丿) rests inside a bent hook (乚), forming the compact shape of 匕.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
2 strokes
In real words
- 匕首bǐ shǒudagger匕 = bǐ
- 图穷匕见tú qióng bǐ xiànthe hidden intention is revealed匕 = bǐ
Go deeper
All readings
dagger; ancient spoon
an ancient spoon; also a bound morpheme used in the word for dagger
古代的一种取食器具；现代也作为语素用于“匕首”。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 匕首bǐ shǒudagger匕 = bǐ
- 图穷匕见tú qióng bǐ xiànthe hidden intention is revealed匕 = bǐ
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 匕 mean?
匕 (bǐ) means an ancient spoon; also a bound morpheme used in the word for dagger.
How do you pronounce 匕?
It is pronounced bǐ.
What parts is 匕 made of?
乚 (bent hook) and 丿 (left-falling stroke), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: makemeahanzi dictionary modern decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke data. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 匕 have?
2. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 匕?
匕. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 匕?
Common ones are 匕首 and 图穷匕见. The reading of 匕 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.