How to Write 阄 (jiū) — Meaning “Lot (as in drawing lots)”

Picture a door (门) with a turtle (龟) hiding behind it, and you have to draw a lot to decide who opens the door. The turtle’s shell looks like a small container for holding lots.

Start with the door radical 门 (3 strokes: dot, vertical, horizontal fold hook). Inside, write 龟 (7 strokes: left vertical, horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal, hook, vertical — note the last stroke is a small hook). Common mistake: making the inside too large or forgetting the final hook of 龟.

阄 (jiū) has 龟 (turtle) inside and means "lot"; 闸 (zhá) has 甲 (armor) inside and means "sluice gate or brake"; 闹 (nào) has 市 (market) inside and means "noisy or to make trouble". The inner component is the key visual difference — turtle vs. armor vs. market.

阄 appears in the common phrase 抓阄 (zhuā jiū, to draw lots), used for making random choices in games or daily decisions. Another phrase is 拈阄 (niān jiū). It is not in the HSK list, so learners mainly encounter it in informal or cultural contexts.

Common words containing 阄 include: 抓阄 (zhuā jiū) — to draw lots; 拈阄 (niān jiū) — to draw lots; 阄儿 (jiū er) — Lots (to be drawn).