How to Write 刘 (liú) — Meaning “Liu (a surname)”

Imagine a cultured person (文) who is also sharp like a knife (刂) – that person is Mr. Liu. Picture the left side as a book and the right side as a blade cutting through it to remember the shape.

Write the left component 文 first: dot, horizontal, left-falling stroke, then right-falling stroke. Then add the right radical 刂: a short vertical line, followed by a longer vertical line with a hook. Ensure the knife radical aligns with the middle of 文 and does not extend too far below.

刘 has the left part 文 (culture), while 刈 (yì, to mow) has 乂 (a cross) and 刊 (kān, to carve) has 干 (a stem). Visually, the left components are different: 文 has a horizontal stroke crossing a left-falling and right-falling, whereas 乂 is just an X and 干 is a plus-like shape. Only 刘 is used as a surname.

刘 is exclusively a Chinese surname, one of the most common in China. You will see it in titles like 刘先生 (Mr. Liu) and 刘小姐 (Miss Liu) when addressing people. Culturally, it is associated with historical figures like Liu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty, so it carries a sense of prestige.

Common words containing 刘 include: 刘先生 (liú xiān shēng) — Mr. Liu; 姓刘 (xìng liú) — surnamed Liu; 刘小姐 (liú xiǎo jiě) — Miss Liu.