How to Write 裹 (guǒ) — Meaning “to wrap; to bind; to envelop”

Picture a fruit (果) placed on a piece of clothing (衣). Then imagine folding the clothing over the fruit to "wrap" it up. This visual of wrapping a fruit in fabric makes the meaning of 裹 easy to recall.

Write the top part 果 first, then the bottom radical 衣. Be careful not to make the bottom 衣 too small or narrow, and remember that the bottom is 衣 (clothing), not 示 (spirit). The stroke order is standard: 果 (9 strokes) then 衣 (6 strokes).

裹 means "to wrap" and contains 衣 with 果. 裁 (cái) means "to cut (cloth)" and has 衣 plus 戈. 裂 (liè) means "to split" and has 衣 plus 列. So each character uses a different inner component that changes the meaning from wrapping to cutting or splitting.

You often see 裹 in everyday words like 包裹 (bāoguǒ) meaning "parcel" or "package" for shipping. It is also used in 裹紧 (guǒjǐn) as in wrapping a scarf tightly, or in historical contexts like 裹脚 (foot binding), though that practice is no longer common.

Common words containing 裹 include: 包裹 (bāo guǒ) — parcel; package; 裹紧 (guǒ jǐn) — to wrap tightly; 裹住 (guǒ zhù) — to wrap up; to envelop.