How to Write 斛 (hú) — Meaning “Hu (ancient dry measure)”

Picture a horn (角) used as a scoop to fill a measuring cup (斗). The horn shape holds exactly one ‘hu’ of grain. This visual of a horn-shaped dipper on a measuring tool helps link the components to the meaning of ancient dry measure.

Pay attention to the left side 角 — the bottom hook (亅) should be written clearly, not merged with the following strokes. The right side 斗 has a dot on top, then horizontal, then vertical hook — make sure the dot is placed above the horizontal stroke, not to the side. Common mistake: writing the left side too wide, making the character unbalanced.

斛 (hú) means an ancient dry measure and uses 斗 (dipper) on the right; 料 (liào) means ‘material’ and uses 米 (rice) on the left with 斗 on the right; 斜 (xié) means ‘slanted’ and uses 余 (surplus) on the left with 斗 on the right. So the left components are different: 角 (horn), 米 (rice), and 余 (surplus) respectively.

斛 is rarely used alone today; it appears mainly in traditional or historical contexts, such as the word 石斛 (shí hú), which is a type of orchid used in Chinese medicine. The measure ‘hu’ itself is obsolete, but the character remains in botanical names and classical texts.

Common words containing 斛 include: 石斛 (shí hú) — Dendrobium (a type of orchid); 斛斗 (hú dòu) — Dry measures; 斗斛 (dòu hú) — Dou and Hu (ancient dry measures).