How to Write 搂 (lōu/lǒu) — Meaning “to hug; to embrace”

Imagine your hand (扌) wrapping around a woman (娄) to give her a warm hug. The picture of a hand holding a person close helps you remember that 搂 means "to hug".

First write the radical 扌 as three strokes, then write 娄 — start with the top part 米 (rice) using 6 strokes, then add the bottom part 女 (woman) with 3 strokes. A common mistake is making the 娄 part too wide; keep it balanced and slightly narrower than the hand radical.

搂 (lōu) means "to hug" using your arms, while 挨 (āi) means "to lean on" or "to suffer" and 挫 (cuò) means "to defeat" or "to frustrate". Visually, 搂 has 娄 on the right, 挨 has 矣, and 挫 has 坐; each uses a different phonetic part with distinct meanings.

搂 is commonly used for physical hugging, like in the words 搂抱 (to hug) and 搂着 (holding in one's arms). It appears in everyday talk about embracing family or friends, and though hugging is less traditional in China, it is now common among close relationships.

Common words containing 搂 include: 搂抱 (lǒu bào) — to hug; to embrace; 搂着 (lǒu zhe) — holding in one's arms; hugging; 搂腰 (lǒu yāo) — to put one's arm around someone's waist.