捆 (kǔn) is a Chinese character meaning “to tie up”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 困 (trapped; stuck (a tree 木 boxed in by an enclosure 囗)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to tie up; bundle”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 困
Left–right structure
- 扌 hand (radical form) · shǒu meaning
- 困 trapped; stuck (a tree 木 boxed in by an enclosure 囗) · kùn sound
Structure from: IDS ⿰扌困（构建期 IDS 候选，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验 3+7=10）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) works until the bundle is trapped (困) tight — that is 捆: to tie it up.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 捆绑kǔn bǎngto tie up; to bind捆 = kǔnspoken askún bǎng
Go deeper
All readings
to tie up; bundle
to tie up; to bind; also a measure word for bundles (a bundle of firewood)
用绳子等把东西缠紧打结；也作量词，用于捆起来的东西，如一捆柴。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 捆绑kǔn bǎngto tie up; to bind捆 = kǔnspoken askún bǎng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 捆 mean?
捆 (kǔn) means to tie up; to bind; also a measure word for bundles (a bundle of firewood).
How do you pronounce 捆?
It is pronounced kǔn.
What parts is 捆 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 困 (trapped; stuck (a tree 木 boxed in by an enclosure 囗)), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS ⿰扌困（构建期 IDS 候选，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验 3+7=10）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 捆 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 捆?
手. 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 捆?
Common ones are 捆绑. The reading of 捆 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.