How to Write 㐬 (liú) — Meaning “Ancient character meaning flowing or tassels”

Imagine a hat (亠) with three long ribbons blowing in the wind underneath. The curving hook at the bottom looks like a ribbon waving, reminding you of tassels or flowing movement.

Start with the dot and horizontal line of 亠, then write a left-slanting stroke that turns right (撇折), add a dot inside, then a left stroke, and finish with a vertical hook. A common mistake is making the bottom hook too straight instead of curved, or forgetting the dot after the bend.

㐬 has a curved hook at the bottom that suggests flowing, while 㐭 is more box-like with no tail, and 交 has crossed lines without a hook. Visually, 㐬’s lower part is open and curved, unlike the closed or crossing shapes of the others.

㐬 is an ancient character rarely used alone today, but it appears as a phonetic component in common characters like 流 (liú, to flow). It is occasionally found in classical texts and traditional banners, evoking flowing water or tassels in cultural rituals.

Common words containing 㐬 include: 㐬子 (liú zi) — Tassels or streamers on a banner; 㐬水 (liú shuǐ) — Flowing water (ancient form of 流水); 㐬云 (liú yún) — Flowing clouds.