球 (qiú) is a Chinese character meaning “ball”. It is written from 王 (king) and 求 (to seek; to request), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “ball”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
王 + 求
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·玉部: 球，从玉求聲（左旁「王」为玉字旁变形）
Memory aid
The left side 王 is the jade radical: a polished jade bead. The right side 求 (qiú, to seek) gives the sound — everyone seeks the round ball.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 足球zú qiúfootball; soccer球 = qiú
- 地球dì qiúthe Earth球 = qiú
- 乒乓球pīng pāng qiútable tennis; ping-pong ball球 = qiú
- 抛球pāo qiúto throw a ball; to toss a ball球 = qiú
- 羽毛球yǔ máo qiúbadminton; shuttlecock球 = qiú
- 垒球lěi qiúsoftball球 = qiú
- 棒球bàng qiúbaseball球 = qiú
- 琉球Liú qiúRyukyu (islands)球 = qiú
- 铅球qiān qiúshot put (the sport or the heavy ball)球 = qiú
Go deeper
All readings
ball; sphere
ball; sphere; globe; ball game
圆形的立体物体；球类运动用的球；也指地球。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 足球zú qiúfootball; soccer球 = qiú
- 地球dì qiúthe Earth球 = qiú
- 乒乓球pīng pāng qiútable tennis; ping-pong ball球 = qiú
- 抛球pāo qiúto throw a ball; to toss a ball球 = qiú
- 羽毛球yǔ máo qiúbadminton; shuttlecock球 = qiú
- 垒球lěi qiúsoftball球 = qiú
- 棒球bàng qiúbaseball球 = qiú
- 琉球Liú qiúRyukyu (islands)球 = qiú
- 铅球qiān qiúshot put (the sport or the heavy ball)球 = qiú
Sound component
求 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 球 mean?
球 (qiú) means ball; sphere; globe; ball game.
How do you pronounce 球?
It is pronounced qiú.
What parts is 球 made of?
王 (king) and 求 (to seek; to request), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·玉部: 球，从玉求聲（左旁「王」为玉字旁变形）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 球 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 球?
玉. 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 球?
Common ones are 足球 and 地球. The reading of 球 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.