How to Write 髂 (qià) — Meaning “ilium”

Imagine a 'guest' (客) arriving at your hip bone (骨) — the ilium is like a welcoming place for the leg to connect. Visualize the boxy shape of the right part as a suitcase the guest carries, sitting on top of the bone radical.

The left radical 骨 has a specific stroke order: start with the vertical stroke, then horizontal, then the outer frame. The right part 客 must be balanced — the top '宀' should cover the '各' below, and the whole character should not be too narrow or wide.

髂 (qià) specifically means the ilium, the large upper part of the hip bone. 髀 (bì) refers to the thigh bone or femur, and 髁 (kē) means the condyle, a rounded end of a bone like at the knee. Visually, 髂 has 客 on the right, while 髀 has 卑 and 髁 has 果.

髂 is a medical term used mainly in anatomy, sports medicine, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. You will find it in words like 髂骨 (ilium) when describing hip injuries or acupuncture points. It is not used in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 髂 include: 髂骨 (qià gǔ) — ilium bone; 髂嵴 (qià jǐ) — iliac crest; 髂窝 (qià wō) — iliac fossa.