胶 (jiāo) is a Chinese character meaning “glue”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 交 (to cross; to hand over; to intersect), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “glue”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
月 + 交
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：月 4 画 + 交 6 画 = 10 画）
Memory aid
The flesh-side 月 on the left plus 交 ("to join") on the right: glue is the sticky stuff that makes two things join together.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 胶水jiāo shuǐglue (liquid)胶 = jiāo
- 胶带jiāo dàiadhesive tape胶 = jiāo
- 硅胶guī jiāosilica gel; silicone胶 = jiāo
Go deeper
All readings
glue; rubber
glue; gum; rubber; plastic; sticky
能把东西粘在一起的物质，如胶水；也指橡胶、塑料等材料；有黏性的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 胶水jiāo shuǐglue (liquid)胶 = jiāo
- 胶带jiāo dàiadhesive tape胶 = jiāo
- 硅胶guī jiāosilica gel; silicone胶 = jiāo
Sound component
交 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 胶 mean?
胶 (jiāo) means glue; gum; rubber; plastic; sticky.
How do you pronounce 胶?
It is pronounced jiāo.
What parts is 胶 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 交 (to cross; to hand over; to intersect), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：月 4 画 + 交 6 画 = 10 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 胶 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 胶?
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 胶?
Common ones are 胶水 and 胶带. The reading of 胶 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.