How to Write 缑 (gōu) — Meaning “cord on a sword hilt”

Imagine a sword hilt wrapped with a silk cord (纟), and the right part 侯 looks like a person holding the sword. This picture helps you remember that 缑 means the cord on a sword hilt.

Write the left radical 纟 first with three strokes, then the right side 侯. On the right, start with the person radical 亻, then write 矢 (arrow) but be careful: 侯 has a small horizontal stroke above the 矢 — do not add an extra vertical line like in 候. Common mistake is confusing it with 候, which has an extra middle vertical stroke.

缑 specifically means a cord on a sword hilt, while 绠 means a rope used to draw water from a well. 绡 means raw silk or a thin silk fabric. Visually, 缑 has 侯 on the right, 绠 has 更, and 绡 has 肖, so the right-side component is the main clue to tell them apart.

缑 is a rare character and appears mostly in ancient or historical contexts, such as the word 剑缑 (sword hilt cord). It is also found in the place name 缑山 (Mount Gou) and the surname 缑氏. Modern daily conversation rarely uses it, but you might encounter it in classical literature or cultural references.

Common words containing 缑 include: 剑缑 (jiàn gōu) — Sword hilt cord; 缑山 (gōu shān) — Mount Gou; 缑氏 (gōu shì) — the Gou surname.