How to Write 穹 (qióng) — Meaning “Vault / dome / sky”

Picture a cave (穴) shaped like an arch high above, with a bow (弓) placed inside to support it — that bow-shaped structure becomes the vault of the sky. The word "dome" has a similar rounded shape, linking to the bow's curve.

Start with the top radical 穴: write the dot, then the cap stroke, then the two small strokes inside (left-falling then dot), and finally the bottom dash. Then write 弓 with three strokes: horizontal fold, horizontal, and curved hook — keep the 弓 narrow so the whole character remains balanced and not too wide.

穵 (wā) means "to dig" and has 穴 with 乙 underneath, not 弓 — its strokes show a digging motion. 究 (jiū) means "to investigate" and has 穴 with 九 (nine) below. 穹 always relates to a curved top or sky, while these others have unrelated meanings.

穹 appears in formal or literary words like 穹顶 (dome) for architecture and 苍穹 (the vast sky) in poetic descriptions of heaven. It is not common in daily speech but adds a grand, classical feeling when describing the arch of the sky or a building's roof.

Common words containing 穹 include: 穹顶 (qióng dǐng) — Dome / cupola; 苍穹 (cāng qióng) — The firmament; the vault of heaven; 穹隆 (qióng lóng) — Vault / dome.