屈 (qū) is a Chinese character meaning “to bend”. It is written from 尸 (corpse) and 出 (to go out; to come out), one enclosing the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to bend; to yield”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
尸 + 出
Enclosing structure
Structure from: modern-glyph IDS ⿸尸出，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验（前3笔为尸，后5笔为出）
Memory aid
A body (尸) folded under a low slab, bending down to get out (出) the bottom. Both parts are really in this character — bend, and you yield.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 屈服qū fúto yield; to give in; to submit屈 = qū
- 不屈bù qūunyielding; unbending屈 = qū
- 不屈不挠bù qū bù náounyielding; indomitable屈 = qū
- 冤屈yuān qūinjustice; wrong suffered屈 = qū
Go deeper
All readings
to bend; to yield
to bend; to bow; to submit, to yield; to be wronged
弯曲，不伸直；低头服从；理亏、受冤枉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 屈服qū fúto yield; to give in; to submit屈 = qū
- 不屈bù qūunyielding; unbending屈 = qū
- 不屈不挠bù qū bù náounyielding; indomitable屈 = qū
- 冤屈yuān qūinjustice; wrong suffered屈 = qū
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 屈 mean?
屈 (qū) means to bend; to bow; to submit, to yield; to be wronged.
How do you pronounce 屈?
It is pronounced qū.
What parts is 屈 made of?
尸 (corpse) and 出 (to go out; to come out), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: modern-glyph IDS ⿸尸出，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验（前3笔为尸，后5笔为出）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 屈 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 屈?
尸. 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 屈?
Common ones are 屈服 and 不屈. The reading of 屈 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.