How to Write 弩 (nǔ) — Meaning “Crossbow.”

Imagine a "crossbow" that is so powerful it makes its user look like a "slave" (奴) pulling a giant "bow" (弓). The picture of a slave struggling with a bow can help you link the bottom part 奴 to the top 弓. Remember: "A slave's bow turns into a crossbow."

Write the top radical 弓 first with three strokes: horizontal bend, then vertical hook, and finally the third stroke (a short horizontal). The bottom 奴 is written with left side 女 (three strokes: left diagonal, right diagonal, then horizontal) and right side 又 (two strokes: horizontal hook, then right-falling). Keep the overall shape balanced, with the top slightly narrower than the bottom, and avoid making the 弩 too tall.

弩 (crossbow) has the radical 弓 on top and 奴 below, while 弛 (chí, meaning to relax or slacken) has 弓 on the left and 也 on right, focusing on loosening a bow. 弟 (dì, younger brother) has no 弓 radical at all — it contains 弓-like shapes but only as a phonetic component. Visually, 弩 is wider and more square, 弛 is left-right balanced, and 弟 is tall and narrow.

弩 appears mostly in historical or martial contexts, like in the words 弓弩 (bows and crossbows) and 弩箭 (crossbow bolt). It is rarely used in everyday conversation but shows up in historical texts, movies, or games about ancient China. A famous cultural note is the "Zhuge repeating crossbow" (连弩), a legendary multi-shot weapon attributed to strategist Zhuge Liang.

Common words containing 弩 include: 弓弩 (gōng nǔ) — bows and crossbows; 弩箭 (nǔ jiàn) — Crossbow bolt; arrow.; 连弩 (lián nǔ) — repeating crossbow.