穷 (qióng) is a Chinese character meaning “poor”. It is written from 穴 (cave; hole) and 力 (strength; power), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “poor; at the very end”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
穴 + 力
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke order (穴 5 strokes + 力 2 strokes = 7)
Memory aid
Trapped in a cave (穴) with your last bit of strength (力) spent — you have hit the end of the line. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 贫穷pín qióngpoor; poverty穷 = qióng
- 穷人qióng rénpoor person; the poor穷 = qióng
- 图穷匕见tú qióng bǐ xiànthe hidden intention is revealed穷 = qióng
Go deeper
All readings
poor
poor; impoverished; exhausted; to the very end; extremely
缺乏财物；也表示到尽头、穷尽。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 贫穷pín qióngpoor; poverty穷 = qióng
- 穷人qióng rénpoor person; the poor穷 = qióng
- 图穷匕见tú qióng bǐ xiànthe hidden intention is revealed穷 = qióng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 穷 mean?
穷 (qióng) means poor; impoverished; exhausted; to the very end; extremely.
How do you pronounce 穷?
It is pronounced qióng.
What parts is 穷 made of?
穴 (cave; hole) and 力 (strength; power), one above the other. The recorded source is: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke order (穴 5 strokes + 力 2 strokes = 7). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 穷 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 穷?
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 穷?
Common ones are 贫穷 and 穷人. The reading of 穷 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.