How to Write 髋 (kuān) — Meaning “hip”

Think of the sound "kuān" as "queen" and picture a queen with very wide hips. The left side 骨 (bone) reminds you it's a bone, and the right side 寬 (wide) tells you where that bone is – the wide hip area.

The left part 骨 has many horizontal strokes – make sure they are evenly spaced and not too long. The right part 寬 is wider than the left, so keep its top (宀) broad enough to cover 萈 below, and don't let the whole character become lopsided.

髋 refers specifically to the hip joint and the whole hip area, while 髀 means the thighbone or upper leg. 髁 means the kneecap or a condyle (rounded bone end). Visually, 髋 has the 寬 component, 髀 has 卑, and 髁 has 果 on the right.

髋 is mostly used in medical, anatomical, and sports contexts – for example, 髋关节 (hip joint) or 髋骨 (hip bone). It is not common in everyday conversation, but you may see it in health articles, fitness guides, or traditional Chinese medicine treatments like bone setting.

Common words containing 髋 include: 髋关节 (kuān guān jié) — hip joint; 髋骨 (kuān gǔ) — hip bone; 髋部 (kuān bù) — hip area.