How to Write 绸 (chóu) — Meaning “silk”

Think of the left radical 纟 as silk thread and the right side 周 as the word for "week" — imagine that a piece of silk takes a whole week to weave. This connects the meaning of silk with the sound "chōu."

First write the radical 纟 with three strokes: a folded stroke, another folded stroke, and a final upward stroke. Then write the right side 周, which has eight strokes: start with a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal hook, then inner strokes. Keep the left side narrow and the right side wider for balance.

绸 specifically refers to smooth silk fabric, while 绑 means to tie or bind (as in 绑架, to kidnap). 绒 means velvet or soft fluff, as in 天鹅绒 (velvet). Visually, 绸 has 周 on the right, 绑 has 邦, and 绒 has 戎.

绸 appears in words like 丝绸 (sī chóu, silk) and 绸缎 (chóu duàn, silks and satins). It is often used when talking about traditional Chinese clothing, textiles, or the famous Silk Road cultural heritage.

Common words containing 绸 include: 丝绸 (sī chóu) — Silk; 绸子 (chóu zi) — silk fabric; 绸缎 (chóu duàn) — silks and satins.