How to Write 髡 (kūn) — Meaning “to shave the head”

Picture the top part 髟 as long hair and the bottom part 兀 as a bald man's head. Imagine a barber shaving all the hair off, leaving only the smooth scalp — this visual helps you recall that 髡 means 'to shave the head'.

Write the top radical 髟 with the correct stroke order: first the horizontal strokes, then the dots and curves. The bottom part 兀 must be balanced under 髟, not too wide or narrow. A common mistake is confusing the bottom with 几 (table) instead of 兀.

All three share the hair radical 髟, but 髡 has 兀 underneath and means 'shaven head', while 髦 (máo) has 毛 underneath and means 'flowing hair' or 'bangs', and 髫 (tiáo) has 召 underneath and means 'child's bangs'. Visually, 髡 looks more compact because 兀 has no extra strokes.

Today 髡 is rare and appears mostly in historical terms like 髡刑 (kūn xíng, punishment of shaving the head) or 髡发 (kūn fà, to shave hair). It is not used in everyday conversation, but you may encounter it in ancient Chinese texts or discussions of traditional punishments, where shaving the head was a humiliating penalty.

Common words containing 髡 include: 髡发 (kūn fā) — to shave one's hair; 髡刑 (kūn xíng) — punishment of shaving the head; 髡首 (kūn shǒu) — shaven head.