How to Write 瞿 (jù/qú) — Meaning “Qu (a Chinese surname)”

Imagine a bird (隹) with two big eyes (目目) that looks very surprised — the sound of the surname "Qu" is like saying "cue" to get the bird's attention. The two eyes remind you that the bird is staring wide-eyed, helping you recall the character's shape and its use in the word 瞿然 (startled).

Write the top 目 first (5 strokes), then the middle 目 directly below it (5 strokes), and finally the bottom 隹 (8 strokes) — total 18 strokes. A common mistake is making the two 目 different sizes or misaligning their vertical centers; keep them evenly stacked and the same width for a balanced look.

瞿 is a surname (e.g., 瞿先生) and also appears in the word 瞿然 (startled), while 瞟 (piǎo) means "to glance" and 瞠 (chēng) means "to stare wide-eyed." Visually, 瞿 has two 目 stacked with a bird below, whereas 瞟 has 目 on the left and 票 on the right, and 瞠 has 目 on the left and 堂 on the right.

瞿 is most often used as a Chinese surname, like in 瞿先生 (Mr. Qu). It also appears in the place name 瞿塘峡 (Qutang Gorge), one of the famous Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, known for its steep cliffs and strong currents. The character is not common in everyday vocabulary and is not included in the HSK word lists.

Common words containing 瞿 include: 瞿先生 (qú xiān shēng) — Mr. Qu; 瞿塘峡 (qú táng xiá) — Qutang Gorge (one of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River); 瞿然 (jù rán) — startled; surprised.