Hanzi Writer

How to Write 梏 (gù) — Meaning “Shackles or to restrain”

gù 11 strokes Radical: 木

梏 (gù) means "Shackles or to restrain" in Chinese. It has 11 strokes with the radical 木.

Rated 4.2/5 in difficulty (advanced).

Appears in 3+ common words including 桎梏 (zhì gù), 梏住 (gù zhù), 梏足 (gù zú).

Due to its 11 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 梏 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 梏 - gù

Practice Writing 梏 (gù)

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How to Write 梏

The character 梏 (gù) is written with 11 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 木 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does gù (梏) Mean in Chinese?

梏 means Shackles or to restrain.

Character Data

Character梏
Pinyingù (gu)
MeaningShackles or to restrain
Strokes11
Radical木
Difficulty4.2/5

Origin of 梏

梏 is a compound character: the radical 木 (wood) indicates the material, and 告 (gào) provides the sound. Ancient Chinese used wooden stocks or handcuffs to restrain prisoners, hence the meaning 'shackles' or 'to restrain'. The character visually combines 'wood' with the phonetic element 告, which originally depicted an ox with a mouth, but here it serves only as a sound component.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a wooden tree (木) with a huge padlock (告 looks like a lock with a chain) clamped around it, so tightly that it's shackled and can't move.

Common Words with 梏

桎梏 zhì gù
Shackles / Fetters / Constraints
梏住 gù zhù
To shackle or restrain
梏足 gù zú
To shackle the feet

Example Sentences

他想打破生活的桎梏。

tā xiǎng dǎ pò shēng huó de zhì gù

He wants to break the shackles of life.

他的手被梏住了。

tā de shǒu bèi gù zhù le

His hands were shackled.

他被梏足在家里。

tā bèi gù zú zài jiā lǐ

He was confined at home.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
梏 (current) gù 11 木
枯 kū 9 木
枰 píng 9 木
枳 zhǐ 9 木
Stroke order practice for 梏 - gù

Practice Writing 梏 (gù)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 梏 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 梏

梏 is made of the radical 木 (wood) on the left and 告 (to tell) on the right. The wood radical suggests the material of ancient shackles, while 告 provides pronunciation and hints at the idea of 'announcing' restraint.

Characters with Radical 木

木mù未wèi末mò本běn札zhá术shù朱zhū朴pō/pǔ朵duǒ机jī

Other 11-Stroke Characters

㒼mán䙴qiān乿zhì偃yǎn假jiǎ/jià偈jì偎wēi偏piān偕xié做zuò