How to Write 舻 (lú) — Meaning “Stern; oar”

Imagine a boat (舟) with a long oar that looks like the letter 'L' — the left part of 卢 resembles an L-shaped oar. Think 'Lu rows his boat with an L-shaped oar' to link the sound lú to the oar and stern meaning.

The left radical 舟 is written first with 6 strokes, then the right part 卢 with 5 strokes. A common mistake is making the 卢 too wide — keep it balanced so the whole character fits in a square, and ensure the hook stroke in 卢 (the third stroke) is clearly curved.

舻 (lú) uses the phonetic 卢 and means 'stern' or 'oar', while 舢 (shān) uses 山 and refers to a small wooden boat called a sampan. 舡 is a rare variant of 舢, so the key difference is the right side: 卢 for 舻, 山 for 舢.

舻 is not common in daily speech, but appears in literary or historical expressions like 舳舻 (zhúlú) meaning 'a fleet of ships'. It is often found in classical poetry describing boats and rivers, so learners may encounter it in Chinese literature rather than conversation.

Common words containing 舻 include: 舳舻 (zhú lú) — stern and bow / a fleet of ships; 船舻 (chuán lú) — Stern; oar; 舻声 (lú shēng) — Sound of rowing.