How to Write 篌 (hóu) — Meaning “an ancient plucked string instrument”

Picture a bamboo stalk (竹) and imagine asking 'How (hou) do I play this ancient harp?' The pronunciation 'hóu' sounds like 'how', and the bamboo reminds you it is an instrument. Another trick: think of the lower part 侯 as a 'marquis' playing a harp made of bamboo.

Write the radical 竹 first as two small 'k' shapes side by side, occupying the top third. Then write the left side of 侯 as the person radical 亻, followed by the right part 弓 and the stroke for 矢 (the last two components). A common mistake is to confuse the left component of 侯 with 彳; remember it is 亻 (person) not double person.

篌 uses the radical 竹 with 侯 below, meaning a specific ancient harp. 筠 (yún) has 均 below and means bamboo skin or a place name, so its lower part is different. 筢 (pá) has 巴 below and means a bamboo rake used for gathering things. Visually, the lower components are distinct (侯 vs 均 vs 巴), and their meanings are unrelated.

篌 is almost never used alone; it appears only in the compound word 箜篌 (kōng hóu), which refers to an ancient Chinese harp. Today, 箜篌 is mostly a historical or cultural term, found in classical poetry, museum descriptions, or traditional music contexts. It is not part of everyday vocabulary for most Chinese speakers.

Common words containing 篌 include: 箜篌 (kōng hóu) — konghou (an ancient Chinese harp); 箜篌曲 (kōng hóu qū) — konghou music / a tune for the konghou; 弹箜篌 (dàn kōng hóu) — To play the konghou (ancient harp).