How to Write 馘 (guó) — Meaning “to cut off the left ear of a slain enemy”

Imagine a warrior looking at a captured enemy's head and asking himself "Shall I cut off the left ear or the right ear?" — the left side 首 means "head" and the right side 或 means "or". This visual of a decision between two ears helps link the parts to the brutal meaning of cutting off a left ear.

Write the left component 首 first with its 9 strokes, including the two dots at the top and the horizontal lines inside. Then add the right component 或, being careful with the 戈 (spear) part: start with the horizontal stroke, then the 口, and finish with the slanted hook and dot. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or forgetting the small stroke inside 口.

The word 馘首 (guó shǒu) means "to behead" in a general sense. 俘馘 (fú guó) is an archaic term for capturing an enemy and cutting off his left ear as a trophy. 献馘 (xiàn guó) refers to the historical practice of presenting these severed left ears to a commander as proof of a kill.

馘 is extremely rare in modern Chinese and does not appear in the HSK vocabulary list. It is only encountered in classical literature, historical texts, or discussions of ancient warfare customs. Cultural note: In ancient China, counting left ears was a standard method for rewarding soldiers, and this character uniquely represents that gruesome practice.

Common words containing 馘 include: 馘首 (guó shǒu) — to behead; 俘馘 (fú guó) — to capture and cut off the left ear (archaic); 献馘 (xiàn guó) — to present the left ears of slain enemies (historical).