巧 (qiǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “skillful”. It is written from 工 (work) and 丂 (obstructed breath (archaic); used as a sound component), side by side, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “skillful”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
工 + 丂
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字（巧，技也。从工丂聲）
Memory aid
A craftsman's tool (工) on the left, with 丂 leaning out on the right telling you how it sounds. Skilled hands plus the right sound: 巧.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 技巧jì qiǎotechnique; skill巧 = qiǎo
- 巧妙qiǎo miàoingenious; clever巧 = qiǎo
- 乖巧guāi qiǎowell-behaved and clever; endearing巧 = qiǎo
- 凑巧còu qiǎoby coincidence; as luck would have it巧 = qiǎo
- 小巧玲珑xiǎo qiǎo líng lóngsmall and exquisite; dainty and finely made巧 = qiǎospoken asxiáo qiǎo líng lóng
Go deeper
All readings
skillful
skillful; clever; ingenious; also: opportune, by coincidence
技术或心思灵活高明；也表示凑巧、正好碰上。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 技巧jì qiǎotechnique; skill巧 = qiǎo
- 巧妙qiǎo miàoingenious; clever巧 = qiǎo
- 乖巧guāi qiǎowell-behaved and clever; endearing巧 = qiǎo
- 凑巧còu qiǎoby coincidence; as luck would have it巧 = qiǎo
- 小巧玲珑xiǎo qiǎo líng lóngsmall and exquisite; dainty and finely made巧 = qiǎospoken asxiáo qiǎo líng lóng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 巧 mean?
巧 (qiǎo) means skillful; clever; ingenious; also: opportune, by coincidence.
How do you pronounce 巧?
It is pronounced qiǎo.
What parts is 巧 made of?
工 (work) and 丂 (obstructed breath (archaic); used as a sound component), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字（巧，技也。从工丂聲）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 巧 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 巧?
工. 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 巧?
Common ones are 技巧 and 巧妙. The reading of 巧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.