窍 (qiào) is a Chinese character meaning “hole”. It is written from 穴 (cave; hole) and 巧 (skillful; clever), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “opening; knack”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
穴 + 巧
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱穴巧；笔画核验 穴5 + 巧5 = 10；《简化字总表》竅简作窍）
Memory aid
A hole (穴) cut in a clever (巧) spot — the clever opening that lets you in. That is a knack.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 窍门qiào ménknack; trick (for doing something well)窍 = qiào
- 诀窍jué qiàosecret of success; knack窍 = qiào
Go deeper
All readings
opening; key to something
hole; aperture; (fig.) the key to doing something; knack
窟窿，孔洞；比喻解决问题的关键。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 窍门qiào ménknack; trick (for doing something well)窍 = qiào
- 诀窍jué qiàosecret of success; knack窍 = qiào
Sound component
巧 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 窍 mean?
窍 (qiào) means hole; aperture; (fig.) the key to doing something; knack.
How do you pronounce 窍?
It is pronounced qiào.
What parts is 窍 made of?
穴 (cave; hole) and 巧 (skillful; clever), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱穴巧；笔画核验 穴5 + 巧5 = 10；《简化字总表》竅简作窍）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 窍 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 窍?
穴. 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 窍?
Common ones are 窍门 and 诀窍. The reading of 窍 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.