How to Write 栊 (lóng) — Meaning “window frame; cage; bars”

Imagine a dragon (龙) trapped behind wooden bars (木) inside a cage — that cage is a 栊 (lóng). This visual of a dragon in a wooden cage links the components and meaning clearly.

Pay attention to the radical 木 on the left: its last stroke should become a dot (丶) instead of a downward stroke (㇏) when it is a left radical. Also ensure the right part 龙 is written with the correct stroke order: horizontal, left-falling, left-falling, vertical hook, horizontal, vertical lift, dot, and that the final dot sits inside the hook.

栊 has the dragon component (龙) and means window frame or cage, while 杆 (gān) uses 干 and means pole or staff, and 杈 (chà) uses 叉 and means fork or branch. Visually, 杆 and 杈 are simpler with fewer strokes, while 栊 is more complex and specifically refers to barred or latticed structures.

栊 is not common in everyday speech but appears in literary or poetic descriptions of windows, cages, or lattice doors. Words like 窗栊 (window lattice) and 鸟栊 (birdcage) are used in formal writing or classical Chinese, giving a traditional or artistic feel.

Common words containing 栊 include: 窗栊 (chuāng lóng) — Window lattice; 鸟栊 (niǎo lóng) — birdcage; 栊门 (lóng mén) — barred door; lattice door.