How to Write 巾 (jīn) — Meaning “towel / cloth”

Imagine a towel hanging on a hook: the top horizontal line is the hook, and the vertical line with the hanging bottom represents the cloth. This visual trick helps you link the shape to its meaning of 'towel' or 'cloth'.

Write the left vertical stroke first, then the top horizontal stroke, and finally the right vertical stroke. Make sure the top horizontal line is slightly longer than the width of the two vertical lines, and keep the left and right vertical strokes parallel.

巾 means 'towel' or 'cloth' and has a straight vertical line through its middle. 巿 (fú) means 'city' or 'clan' and has a hook-like turn at the bottom of the vertical stroke. 帀 (zā) means 'to go around' and has a horizontal stroke across the top with a curved bottom.

巾 appears in common words like 毛巾 (towel), 纸巾 (tissue), and 围巾 (scarf). It is often used as a radical in characters related to cloth or fabric, and you will encounter it frequently in daily items involving cloth.

Common words containing 巾 include: 毛巾 (máo jīn) — Towel; 纸巾 (zhǐ jīn) — tissue; paper towel; 围巾 (wéi jīn) — Scarf.