骨 (gǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “bone”. It is written from 冎 (bare bone joint; the bone frame on top of 骨) and 月 (moon; month), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “bone”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
冎 + 月
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：骨，肉之覈也。从冎有肉。现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–5 笔与 冎 完全重合，第 6–9 笔与 月 一致。
Memory aid
冎 on top is a stripped joint — a socket with a piece snapped out of it. 月 underneath is the flesh shape that sits on body characters. Flesh hanging on a bare joint: 骨, bone.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 骨头gǔ tóubone骨 = gǔspoken asgǔ tou
- 肋骨lèi gǔrib; rib bone骨 = gǔ
- 啃骨头kěn gǔ touto gnaw on a bone; (fig.) to tackle a tough job骨 = gǔ
- 颅骨lú gǔskull; cranium骨 = gǔ
Go deeper
All readings
bone
bone; skeleton; framework; (figuratively) backbone, character
人或动物体内坚硬的支架组织；也比喻事物的支撑部分或人的气节。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 骨头gǔ tóubone骨 = gǔspoken asgǔ tou
- 肋骨lèi gǔrib; rib bone骨 = gǔ
- 啃骨头kěn gǔ touto gnaw on a bone; (fig.) to tackle a tough job骨 = gǔ
- 颅骨lú gǔskull; cranium骨 = gǔ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 骨 mean?
骨 (gǔ) means bone; skeleton; framework; (figuratively) backbone, character.
How do you pronounce 骨?
It is pronounced gǔ.
What parts is 骨 made of?
冎 (bare bone joint; the bone frame on top of 骨) and 月 (moon; month), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：骨，肉之覈也。从冎有肉。现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–5 笔与 冎 完全重合，第 6–9 笔与 月 一致。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 骨 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 骨?
骨. 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 骨?
Common ones are 骨头 and 肋骨. The reading of 骨 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.