曲 (qū) is a Chinese character meaning “bent”. It is written from ㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇕ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke), and takes 6 strokes. It has a second reading, qǔ, which turns up in 歌曲 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “bent; crooked”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
㇑ + ㇕ + ㇐ + ㇑ + ㇑ + ㇐
Overlapping structure
- ㇑ vertical stroke unknown
- ㇕ horizontal-turning stroke unknown
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
- ㇑ vertical stroke unknown
- ㇑ vertical stroke unknown
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形笔画拆分：第 1 笔竖、第 2 笔横折、第 3 与第 6 笔横、第 4 与第 5 笔竖）
Memory aid
A ㇑ runs down the left side, a ㇕ folds across the top and turns down the right, and two more ㇑ posts stand between them, poking up above the lid. Two ㇐ bars lie across the middle and along the floor: a slatted rack whose ribs have been bent into a box.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 弯曲wān qūbent; curved; winding曲 = qū
- 曲线qū xiàncurve; curved line曲 = qū
- 歪曲wāi qūto distort; to twist (facts)曲 = qū
Go deeper
All readings
bent; crooked
bent; crooked; curved; to bend
弯；不直。也指把东西弄弯。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 弯曲wān qūbent; curved; winding曲 = qū
- 曲线qū xiàncurve; curved line曲 = qū
- 歪曲wāi qūto distort; to twist (facts)曲 = qū
song; tune
song; tune; melody
歌曲；乐曲。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 歌曲gē qǔsong曲 = qǔ
Other characters with these parts
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 曲 mean?
曲 (qū) means bent; crooked; curved; to bend.
How do you pronounce 曲?
Its main reading is qū. It also has a second reading, qǔ, which only shows up in certain words such as 歌曲 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 曲 sometimes pronounced qǔ?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 歌曲 it is read qǔ.
What parts is 曲 made of?
㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇕ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke). The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形笔画拆分：第 1 笔竖、第 2 笔横折、第 3 与第 6 笔横、第 4 与第 5 笔竖）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 曲 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 曲?
曰. 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 曲?
Common ones are 弯曲 and 曲线. The reading of 曲 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.