How to Write 颅 (lú) — Meaning “Skull / Cranium”

Imagine a 'skull' wearing a fancy 'page' (页) hat, and the left part 卢 looks like a tiny house where the brain lives. This picture helps you link the shape to the meaning of skull.

Write the left part 卢 first with 5 strokes, then the right radical 页 with 6 strokes. Make sure the two halves are balanced in width, and don't make the 页 too big or too small. A common mistake is writing the 页 too narrow, which makes the character look unbalanced.

颅 (lú) means 'skull' and contains the head radical 页. 顸 (hān) means 'thick' or 'awkward' and is rarely used. 项 (xiàng) means 'neck' or 'item' and has a different pronunciation and meaning. Unlike 颅, 项 is very common in words like '项目' (project).

颅 is used mainly in medical or formal contexts, such as 颅骨 (skull bone) and 脑颅 (cranium). It is not common in daily speech, but you may see it in anatomy textbooks or news about head injuries. Culturally, the skull is not a casual topic, so this character appears in serious or scientific writing.

Common words containing 颅 include: 头颅 (tóu lú) — skull / head; 颅骨 (lú gǔ) — Cranial bone / Skull; 脑颅 (nǎo lú) — cranium; skull.