臼 (jiù) is a Chinese character meaning “mortar”. It is written from ㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇕ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke), and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “mortar”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
㇒ + ㇑ + ㇐ + ㇕ + ㇐ + ㇐
Overlapping structure
- ㇒ left-falling stroke unknown
- ㇑ vertical stroke unknown
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
- ㇕ horizontal-turning stroke unknown
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形笔画拆分：第 1 笔撇、第 2 笔竖、第 3 与第 5 笔为左右两条短横、第 4 笔横折、第 6 笔底横）
Memory aid
A mortar is a hollow bowl you pound grain in. The ㇒ sweeps in at the top-left corner, the ㇑ drops down as the left wall, and the ㇕ turns across the top and down the right wall. Three ㇐ bars finish it: two short ones jut inward, one from each wall, and stop short of each other so the middle stays hollow — and the long one seals the bottom.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 石臼shí jiùstone mortar臼 = jiù
Go deeper
All readings
mortar
mortar; a hollowed stone or wooden vessel for pounding grain; a mortar-shaped hollow
舂米或捣东西用的器具，多用石头或木头做成，中间凹下。也指臼形的凹陷部分。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 石臼shí jiùstone mortar臼 = jiù
Other characters with these parts
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 臼 mean?
臼 (jiù) means mortar; a hollowed stone or wooden vessel for pounding grain; a mortar-shaped hollow.
How do you pronounce 臼?
It is pronounced jiù.
What parts is 臼 made of?
㇒ (left-falling stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇕ (horizontal-turning stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke). The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形笔画拆分：第 1 笔撇、第 2 笔竖、第 3 与第 5 笔为左右两条短横、第 4 笔横折、第 6 笔底横）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 臼 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 臼?
臼. 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 臼?
Common ones are 石臼. The reading of 臼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.