肘 (zhǒu) is a Chinese character meaning “elbow”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 寸 (cun; inch), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “elbow”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
月 + 寸
Left–right structure
Structure from: 《说文解字》：肘，臂節也。从肉从寸，寸，手寸口也；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验：7 画 = 左「月」4 画 + 右「寸」3 画（左旁「月」为肉的偏旁形）
Memory aid
The flesh-side 月 says this is a body part, and 寸 is the hand measuring a short distance up the arm — 肘, the elbow.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 手肘shǒu zhǒuelbow肘 = zhǒuspoken asshóu zhǒu
- 肘子zhǒu zipork knuckle; upper part of a pig's leg (as food)肘 = zhǒu
Go deeper
All readings
elbow
elbow; the joint between the upper arm and the forearm
上臂和前臂相连的关节，也指猪腿上部的肉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 手肘shǒu zhǒuelbow肘 = zhǒuspoken asshóu zhǒu
- 肘子zhǒu zipork knuckle; upper part of a pig's leg (as food)肘 = zhǒu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 肘 mean?
肘 (zhǒu) means elbow; the joint between the upper arm and the forearm.
How do you pronounce 肘?
It is pronounced zhǒu.
What parts is 肘 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 寸 (cun; inch), side by side. The recorded source is: 《说文解字》：肘，臂節也。从肉从寸，寸，手寸口也；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验：7 画 = 左「月」4 画 + 右「寸」3 画（左旁「月」为肉的偏旁形）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 肘 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 肘?
肉. 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 肘?
Common ones are 手肘 and 肘子. The reading of 肘 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.