How to Write 颔 (hàn) — Meaning “chin / to nod”

Picture a person nodding their head while holding a book (含 resembles a mouth with something inside) under their chin, with the head represented by 页. Imagine nodding (颔首) and the book staying under your chin to link the meaning.

Write the top part 含 first, making sure the bottom 页 is slightly wider than the top. A common mistake is forgetting the final dot stroke in 页; also keep the two parts balanced vertically.

All three use the radical 页, but the phonetic parts differ: 颔 has 含 (chin/nod), 颅 has 卢 (skull), and 领 has 令 (neck/collar). Visually, 颔's top looks like a mouth with a line, while 颅 has a simpler shape and 领 has a roof-like top.

颔 appears in formal or literary phrases such as 颔首 (to nod respectfully) and 下颔 (lower jaw). It is also used in poetry terminology like 颔联, the second couplet of an eight-line poem, showing its classical cultural role.

Common words containing 颔 include: 颔首 (hàn shǒu) — to nod one's head; 下颔 (xià hàn) — lower jaw; mandible; 颔联 (hàn lián) — the second couplet of an eight-line poem.