How to Write 娄 (lóu) — Meaning “Lou (a surname)”

Imagine a woman (女) carrying a bag of rice (米) on her head — the shape of 娄 looks like that. This visual helps you recall that 娄 is pronounced lóu, similar to 'low' in English, so picture her bending low under the weight.

Write the top radical 女 first: stroke order is left-slant, right-slant, then horizontal stroke crossing through. Then write the bottom 米 in order: dot, left-falling, right-falling, horizontal, vertical. Ensure the 女 is slightly wider than the 米 below to keep the character balanced. Common mistake is making the bottom too tall — keep the 米 compact.

The key difference is the bottom part: 娄 has 米 (rice) below the woman radical, while 妊 has 壬 (a horizontal line with a vertical stroke) and 妍 has 幵 (two horizontal strokes and a vertical). Visually, 娄 looks more ‘full’ at the bottom. Meaning-wise, 娄 is a surname, 妊 means pregnancy, and 妍 means beautiful.

娄 is almost exclusively used as a surname (姓娄) in modern Chinese. It appears in the idiom 捅娄子 (to make a mess), and in place names like 娄山关 (Loushan Pass), a historic battlefield. Culturally, it is not a common character, so learners mostly encounter it in names or literary references.

Common words containing 娄 include: 姓娄 (xìng lóu) — surnamed Lou; 捅娄子 (tǒng lóu zi) — to make a mess; to get into trouble; 娄山关 (lóu shān guān) — Loushan Pass.