How to Write 骨 (gū/gǔ) — Meaning “bone”

Imagine the character looks like a fish skeleton: the top hook shape is the head, the middle vertical line is the spine, and the bottom two strokes are the tail. The pronunciation 'gū' sounds like 'goo', which can remind you of bone marrow.

Start with the left vertical stroke, then draw the top horizontal turns to make two small boxes. For the bottom part, write a vertical left stroke, a horizontal hook shape, and then two inner horizontal strokes. A common mistake is to mix up the order of the top turns or to make the bottom part too wide.

A common word is 骨头 (gǔ tou) meaning 'bone', used in everyday talk about body parts. Another is 骨干 (gǔ gàn) meaning 'backbone' or 'core member', used to describe key people in a team or organization.

骨 is used in many words related to bones, skeleton, and structure. In Chinese culture, bones are seen as fundamental, and the idiom 骨肉相连 (bone and flesh connected) describes very close family relationships.

Common words containing 骨 include: 骨头 (gǔ tou) — bone; 骨干 (gǔ gàn) — backbone / core member; 骨朵儿 (gū duǒ er) — Flower bud.