How to Write 畴 (chóu) — Meaning “Field / Category / Domain”

Imagine a farmer standing in a field (田) and saying, "This land will last for a long, long life (寿)." The picture of a durable field helps you link the components to the character's meanings of 'field' and 'domain.'

Write the left radical 田 first (three strokes: vertical, horizontal, then the inner plus bottom), then the right part 寿 (seven strokes: top horizontal, then the rest). A common mistake is making the 寿 component too wide or mixing its top part with a 艹 (grass) head—remember it is 寿, not 艹 plus something.

畴 uses 寿 on the right and means 'category' or 'domain' (and also 'field'). 畔 uses 半 on the right, meaning 'bank' or 'edge of a field.' 留 has 卯 (or its variant) at the bottom right and means 'to stay' or 'remain.' Visually, focus on the right side: 寿 (many strokes), 半 (five strokes), and 卯 (five strokes with a different shape).

畴 appears mainly in formal or literary words: 范畴 (category/domain) is common in academic and philosophical writing, 田畴 (farmland) is used in agricultural contexts, and 畴昔 (in the past) is a elegant classical expression. It is rarely used alone in everyday speech, so learners should recognize it in compound words rather than try to use it in conversation.

Common words containing 畴 include: 范畴 (fàn chóu) — Category / Domain; 田畴 (tián chóu) — farmland / cultivated land; 畴昔 (chóu xī) — In the past / Formerly.