How to Write 钮 (niǔ) — Meaning “Button / Knob”

Imagine a metal button (钅) with a funny clown face (丑) on it — "niǔ" sounds like "new" button. This visual trick connects the metal radical to the right side, which looks like a small face with a hat.

The metal radical 钅 ends with a vertical lift (竖提), not two separate strokes. The right side 丑 starts with a horizontal fold (横折), then a vertical, and ends with two horizontal strokes — the final horizontal should be slightly longer than the one above.

针 (zhēn) means needle and has 十 on the right; 钉 (dīng) means nail and has 丁 on the right. 钮 has 丑 on the right and means a button or knob, not a sharp object. All share the metal radical but their right parts indicate different things.

钮 appears in words like 按钮 (àn niǔ) for a push button on devices and 旋钮 (xuán niǔ) for a rotary knob. It can also be a surname but is rare. Note that 钮 refers to metal or mechanical buttons, while clothing buttons use the character 纽 with the silk radical.

Common words containing 钮 include: 按钮 (àn niǔ) — button; 电梯按钮 (diàn tī àn niǔ) — elevator button; 旋钮 (xuán niǔ) — knob.