巢 (cháo) is a Chinese character meaning “nest”. It is written from 巛 (winding streams; flowing water) and 果 (fruit; result), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “nest”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
巛 + 果
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（巛3画[0–2] + 果8画[3–10] = 11画）；仅为现代字形部件，不作字源主张
Memory aid
Three little wavy strokes (巛) perched on top of a fruit tree (果) — picture baby birds poking their heads out of a nest in the tree. This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 鸟巢niǎo cháobird's nest巢 = cháo
- 卵巢luǎn cháoovary巢 = cháo
Go deeper
All readings
nest
nest; lair; den
鸟的窝，也泛指某些动物的窝；比喻坏人藏身的地方。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 鸟巢niǎo cháobird's nest巢 = cháo
- 卵巢luǎn cháoovary巢 = cháo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 巢 mean?
巢 (cháo) means nest; lair; den.
How do you pronounce 巢?
It is pronounced cháo.
What parts is 巢 made of?
巛 (winding streams; flowing water) and 果 (fruit; result), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（巛3画[0–2] + 果8画[3–10] = 11画）；仅为现代字形部件，不作字源主张. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 巢 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 巢?
巛. 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 巢?
Common ones are 鸟巢 and 卵巢. The reading of 巢 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.