囚 (qiú) is a Chinese character meaning “a prisoner”. It is written from 囗 (enclosure, surrounding frame) and 人 (person), one enclosing the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “prisoner”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
囗 + 人
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 说文解字：囚，繫也。从人在囗中。
Memory aid
A person (人) shut inside a walled enclosure (囗). Both parts are really in this character: someone who cannot walk out is a prisoner.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 囚犯qiú fànprisoner; convict囚 = qiú
- 囚禁qiú jìnto imprison; to lock up囚 = qiú
Go deeper
All readings
prisoner
a prisoner; a convict; to imprison; to lock up
被关押起来的人；也指把人关押起来。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 囚犯qiú fànprisoner; convict囚 = qiú
- 囚禁qiú jìnto imprison; to lock up囚 = qiú
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 囚 mean?
囚 (qiú) means a prisoner; a convict; to imprison; to lock up.
How do you pronounce 囚?
It is pronounced qiú.
What parts is 囚 made of?
囗 (enclosure, surrounding frame) and 人 (person), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：囚，繫也。从人在囗中。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 囚 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 囚?
囗. 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 囚?
Common ones are 囚犯 and 囚禁. The reading of 囚 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.