皱 (zhòu) is a Chinese character meaning “wrinkle”. It is written from 刍 (hay; fodder; to cut grass for feed) and 皮 (skin; hide; leather), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “wrinkle”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
刍 + 皮
Left–right structure
Structure from: 《玉篇·皮部》：皺，側救切，面皺也。从皮芻聲（简化字芻作刍）。现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：前五笔为刍，后五笔为皮（radStrokes 5–9）
Memory aid
Hay (刍) next to skin (皮): skin that crumples like a bundle of dry hay is wrinkled. 刍 is also the sound part — though chú has drifted far from zhòu.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 皱纹zhòu wénwrinkles; creases皱 = zhòu
- 皱眉zhòu méito frown; to knit one's brows皱 = zhòu
Go deeper
All readings
wrinkle
wrinkle; crease; to wrinkle; to knit (the brows)
皮肤或物体表面因收缩而起的褶纹；也指使起褶纹，如皱眉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 皱纹zhòu wénwrinkles; creases皱 = zhòu
- 皱眉zhòu méito frown; to knit one's brows皱 = zhòu
Sound component
刍 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 皱 mean?
皱 (zhòu) means wrinkle; crease; to wrinkle; to knit (the brows).
How do you pronounce 皱?
It is pronounced zhòu.
What parts is 皱 made of?
刍 (hay; fodder; to cut grass for feed) and 皮 (skin; hide; leather), side by side. The recorded source is: 《玉篇·皮部》：皺，側救切，面皺也。从皮芻聲（简化字芻作刍）。现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：前五笔为刍，后五笔为皮（radStrokes 5–9）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 皱 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 皱?
皮. 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 皱?
Common ones are 皱纹 and 皱眉. The reading of 皱 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.