How to Write 犋 (jù) — Meaning “team of draft animals”

Picture a team of oxen (牛) pulling a large farming tool (具) together across a field. The 具 looks like the wooden frame of a plow that the oxen are harnessed to as a unit.

Write the left radical 牛 first with its three strokes, then the right side 具 with nine strokes. The right side has a tall vertical stroke in the center and multiple horizontal lines; keep them evenly spaced. A common mistake is making the left radical too small—balance both sides so 犋 looks proportional.

牸 (zì) means a female cow or mare, and 特 (tè) means a bull or something special. 犋 specifically refers to a team or yoke of draft animals, not an individual animal. Visually, 犋 uses 具 on the right, while 牸 uses 子 and 特 uses 寺.

犋 is a rare character mainly found in agricultural contexts, especially in northern China, describing a team of oxen pulling a plow. It appears in phrases like 一犋牛 (a yoke of oxen) but is mostly used in older texts or local dialects, not in everyday modern speech.

Common words containing 犋 include: 一犋牛 (yī jù niú) — a team of oxen; 犋 (jù) — team of draft animals; 犋牛 (jù niú) — a team of oxen.