How to Write 篓 (lǒu) — Meaning “basket or hamper”

Imagine a bamboo basket shaped like the bottom part 娄, which looks like a person carrying a load on their back. Think of the word 'low' (sounds like lǒu) — a basket that hangs low when you carry it.

The top bamboo radical (竹) must be written with two identical halves, each having three strokes: left-falling, horizontal, dot. The bottom 娄 is wider; make sure the 女 at the bottom is not too small or the 米 above it is not squeezed.

篓 means a basket or hamper, while 筠 (jūn/yún) refers to bamboo skin or is used in names, and 筢 (pá) is a rake for gathering straw. Visually, 篓 contains 娄, 筠 contains 均, and 筢 contains 巴 — each bottom part gives a different meaning.

篓 appears in everyday words like 纸篓 (wastepaper basket), 背篓 (back basket carried by farmers), and 鱼篓 (fish basket). The 背篓 is especially common in rural mountain areas of China, where people use it to carry crops or goods on their backs.

Common words containing 篓 include: 纸篓 (zhǐ lǒu) — wastepaper basket; 背篓 (bēi lǒu) — Back basket; 鱼篓 (yú lǒu) — Fish basket.