How to Write 耧 (lóu) — Meaning “A drill for sowing seeds”

Imagine a plow (represented by the left part 耒) pulling a large basket (the right part 娄 looks like a container) that drops seeds into the soil. This creates a seed drill in your mind. The pinyin "lóu" can remind you of "low" since the drill stays low to the ground.

Be careful with the stroke order of the left radical 耒: write two horizontal lines, a vertical, another horizontal, then a left-falling and a right-falling stroke. The right part 娄 has 9 strokes: start with the top horizontal, then write 米 (rice) and finally 女 (woman) below. A common mistake is making the left side too tall or misaligning the two halves.

All three characters share the 耒 radical, but their right sides differ. 耢 (lào) has 劳 on the right and means a harrow for smoothing soil. 耤 (jí) has 昔 on the right and means to plow or cultivate. 耧 specifically refers to a seed drill for sowing seeds, not for tilling or leveling soil.

耧 is not a common daily character; it appears mainly in historical or agricultural discussions about traditional farming tools. The word 耧车 (lóu chē) refers to an animal-drawn seed drill, an important ancient Chinese invention. You might encounter it in museum exhibits or texts about agricultural history.

Common words containing 耧 include: 耧车 (lóu chē) — A seed drill (animal-drawn); 耧斗 (lóu dòu) — The hopper of a seed drill; 播耧 (bō lóu) — a drill for sowing seeds.