How to Write 骶 (dǐ) — Meaning “sacrum”

Picture the right side 氐 as a person standing with feet firmly on the ground, representing the 'base' or 'bottom.' Then imagine the left radical 骨 as a bone that sits right at the base of your spine like a sturdy foundation. This visual of a bone at the bottom of your back helps link 骶 to the sacrum.

Write the left radical 骨 first (9 strokes: vertical, horizontal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, hook, vertical, horizontal, horizontal), then the right part 氐 (5 strokes: left-falling, horizontal, horizontal, vertical lift, slanted hook). A common mistake is making the 骨 radical too narrow, but it should be wider than the right side, and the slanted hook in 氐 must curve downward to the right, not straight.

骶 (sacrum) has the right component 氐 (base), while 骰 (tóu, dice) has 殳 on the right, which shows a hand holding a tool — dice are thrown by hand. 骱 (jiè, joint/bone connecting) has 介 (shell/scale) on the right, relating to a connecting structure. Visually, note the different right-side shapes: 氐 vs 殳 vs 介.

骶 is primarily a medical term used in anatomy, such as in 骶骨 (sacrum) and 骶椎 (sacral vertebrae). It appears in clinical or academic writing about the lower spine, but is rarely used in daily conversation. Culturally, understanding this character can help when reading Chinese medical texts or discussing lower back pain.

Common words containing 骶 include: 骶骨 (dǐ gǔ) — sacrum; 骶椎 (dǐ zhuī) — sacral vertebra; 骶部 (dǐ bù) — sacral region.