娄 (lóu) is a Chinese character meaning “a mess”. It is written from 米 (rice (uncooked grains)) and 女 (woman; female), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “mess; blunder”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
米 + 女
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 ⿱米女，按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（笔画 0–5 与「米」逐笔对应，6–8 与「女」逐笔对应；6 画 + 3 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
A woman (女) with a whole load of rice (米) stacked on her head — sooner or later it spills, and that spill is a 娄子: a mess.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 娄子lóu zia mess; a blunder; trouble娄 = lóu
- 捅娄子tǒng lóu zito make a mess of things; to get into trouble娄 = lóu
Go deeper
All readings
mess; blunder
a mess; a blunder (in 娄子); also a surname
多用于「娄子」，指差错、乱子；也是姓氏。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 娄子lóu zia mess; a blunder; trouble娄 = lóu
- 捅娄子tǒng lóu zito make a mess of things; to get into trouble娄 = lóu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 娄 mean?
娄 (lóu) means a mess; a blunder (in 娄子); also a surname.
How do you pronounce 娄?
It is pronounced lóu.
What parts is 娄 made of?
米 (rice (uncooked grains)) and 女 (woman; female), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 ⿱米女，按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（笔画 0–5 与「米」逐笔对应，6–8 与「女」逐笔对应；6 画 + 3 画 = 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 娄 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 娄?
女. 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 娄?
Common ones are 娄子. The reading of 娄 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.