How to Write 轷 (hū) — Meaning “Hu (a surname or ancient carriage part)”

Imagine a carriage (车) that makes the sound 'Hoo!' (like 乎, hū) as it rolls along. This links the left vehicle radical to the right phonetic part. Think of the surname Hu as someone who loves old carriages.

Write the left radical 车 (chē) first — it has four strokes: horizontal, left-slanting vertical, horizontal, then vertical. The right side 乎 consists of two dots on top, then two horizontal strokes and a vertical hook; the final stroke is a vertical hook that curves left. Keep both sides balanced — the left radical is slightly narrower than the right part.

斩 (zhǎn) uses the same radical 车 but has 斤 (jīn, 'axe') on the right, meaning 'to cut' or 'behead' — it's a verb. 軎 (wèi) also has 车 on the left, but the right side is different: it's an ancient axle cap, not a surname. 轷 is exclusively a surname (Hu) today, while 斩 is a common verb and 軎 is rarely used.

轷 is only used as a surname (Hu) in modern Chinese, so you would encounter it on someone's name card, in official documents, or in a phone book. It is not part of the HSK vocabulary and does not appear in everyday words. Culturally, it is a rare surname, so if you meet someone named 轷, it is an interesting conversation starter about ancient Chinese characters.

Common words containing 轷 include: 轷 (hū) — Hu (a surname or ancient carriage part).