How to Write 媾 (gòu) — Meaning “To join; to reach an agreement; to mate.”

Imagine two women (女) meeting in a tall building (冓 looks like a structure) to sign a peace treaty. The left part reminds you of women (the radical) and the right part looks like a framework or building, helping you recall the meaning of 'joining' or 'reaching an agreement.'

Write the left radical 女 first with three strokes: ㇆ (horizontal fold), ㇓ (sweep), and ㇐ (horizontal). Then write the right component 冓, which has 10 strokes: begin with ㇐ (horizontal), then ㇆ (fold), ㇓ (sweep), ㇔ (dot), and a series of horizontal and vertical strokes. Keep the left part narrower and the right part wider; a common mistake is making the left 女 too wide, which unbalances the character.

媾 (gòu) focuses on joining or mating, as in 媾和 (make peace) or 交媾 (copulation). 娶 (qǔ) means 'to take a wife' and emphasizes the act of marrying, while 娼 (chāng) refers specifically to a prostitute or brothel. Visually, 娶 has the radical 女 plus 取 (take), and 娼 has 女 plus 昌 (prosper), while 媾 uses 冓 (join). Their meanings and usage are distinct: 媾 is formal or literary, 娶 is common for marriage, and 娼 is negative.

媾 is rarely used in daily conversation; it appears mostly in formal or literary texts, especially in terms like 媾和 (negotiate peace) in historical or political contexts, and 交媾 (sexual intercourse) in scientific or biological writing. The character carries a neutral or formal tone, but the sexual meaning is direct and not euphemistic, so it is used carefully. Culturally, 媾 reflects ancient Chinese views of union through marriage or diplomacy.

Common words containing 媾 include: 媾和 (gòu hé) — To make peace; to negotiate a peace treaty.; 交媾 (jiāo gòu) — sexual intercourse; copulation; 婚媾 (hūn gòu) — Marriage; union.