巾 (jīn) is a Chinese character meaning “cloth”. It is written from 冂 (down box) and 丨 (vertical stroke), and takes 3 strokes.
Build the character for “cloth”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
冂 + 丨
Overlapping structure
Structure from: Unicode U+5DFE, dictionary.txt modern IDS candidate, and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke inspection
Memory aid
Put a vertical stroke (丨) through the down box (冂), like a cloth hanging from its frame.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
3 strokes
In real words
- 毛巾máo jīntowel巾 = jīn
- 围巾wéi jīnscarf巾 = jīn
Go deeper
All readings
cloth
cloth; towel; a cloth head covering
布；擦拭或包裹用的织物，也可指头巾。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 毛巾máo jīntowel巾 = jīn
- 围巾wéi jīnscarf巾 = jīn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 巾 mean?
巾 (jīn) means cloth; towel; a cloth head covering.
How do you pronounce 巾?
It is pronounced jīn.
What parts is 巾 made of?
冂 (down box) and 丨 (vertical stroke). The recorded source is: Unicode U+5DFE, dictionary.txt modern IDS candidate, and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke inspection. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 巾 have?
3. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 巾?
巾. 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 巾?
Common ones are 毛巾 and 围巾. The reading of 巾 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.