How to Write 丩 (jiū) — Meaning “to entwine; to connect (ancient radical)”

Picture a fishing hook (the curved part) catching a straight line (the vertical stroke) — the hook gets entangled with the line. The image of 'hook' and 'line' tangled together helps you recall the meaning 'to entwine' and the pronunciation 'jiū' (sounds like 'Jew' but with a flat tone).

Stroke order: first write the vertical line (丨) from top to bottom, then the curved stroke starting at the top left, curving down and right before hooking upward. A common mistake is making the second stroke too straight or too large — it should be a gentle curve that neatly connects to the middle of the vertical line.

丨 is just a single straight vertical line, while 丩 has a second curved stroke, making it look like a hook. 个 has three strokes and represents 'individual,' with a roof-like top (撇 and 捺) above a vertical line, whereas 丩 has only two strokes and a curved shape. Their meanings are completely unrelated.

丩 is an ancient radical and is rarely used alone today, but it appears as a component in characters like 纠 (jiū, to correct) and in words like 纠缠 (jiū chán, to pester). Culturally, it originally depicted twisting vines, symbolizing connection or entanglement, and is still used in calligraphy and radical lists.

Common words containing 丩 include: 丩结 (jiū jié) — to entwine; to knot; 纠缠 (jiū chán) — to pester; to entangle; 丩部 (jiū bù) — Radical '丩' (Jiū).