哭 (kū) is a Chinese character meaning “to cry”. It is written from 吅 (two mouths side by side; clamour) and 犬 (dog), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to cry; to weep aloud”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
吅 + 犬
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 十笔字形核验：第1–3笔与第4–6笔各构成一个「口」（并排即「吅」），第7–10笔构成「犬」。只描述现代字形拆分，不主张字源。
Memory aid
Two open mouths (吅) wailing above a dog (犬) — the crying is so loud the dog joins in. That's 哭: to cry out loud.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 哭泣kū qìto weep; to cry (quietly)哭 = kū
- 痛哭流涕tòng kū liú tìto weep bitterly哭 = kū
Go deeper
All readings
to cry
to cry; to weep aloud; to sob
因痛苦、悲伤或激动而流泪，常伴有声音。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 哭泣kū qìto weep; to cry (quietly)哭 = kū
- 痛哭流涕tòng kū liú tìto weep bitterly哭 = kū
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 哭 mean?
哭 (kū) means to cry; to weep aloud; to sob.
How do you pronounce 哭?
It is pronounced kū.
What parts is 哭 made of?
吅 (two mouths side by side; clamour) and 犬 (dog), one above the other. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 十笔字形核验：第1–3笔与第4–6笔各构成一个「口」（并排即「吅」），第7–10笔构成「犬」。只描述现代字形拆分，不主张字源。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 哭 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 哭?
口. 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 哭?
Common ones are 哭泣. The reading of 哭 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.