How to Write 囚 (qiú) — Meaning “Prisoner; to imprison.”

A common mistake is writing the inner 人 too large, so it touches the outer 囗, or making the box too small. To remember the stroke order: first write the left vertical stroke of 囗, then the horizontal and vertical strokes that form the top and right sides, then write 人 inside, and finally close the bottom. Think of it as building a cage: you make the walls first, put the person in, then close the door.

四 (sì) means 'four' and is a number, while 囚 specifically means 'prisoner' or 'to imprison'. 囝 (jiǎn) is a dialect word for 'son' or 'child' and is less common. The key difference is that 囚 always has a person (人) inside the enclosure, whereas 四 has a different inner shape (often resembling 儿) and 囝 has a child radical (子) inside. Remember: 囚 = person in a box, 四 = number four, 囝 = child in a box.

囚 is used in legal and criminal contexts. For example, 囚犯 (qiú fàn) means 'prisoner' or 'convict', 囚禁 (qiú jìn) means 'to imprison' or 'to confine', and 囚车 (qiú chē) is a 'prison van'. You might hear it in news reports about crime or in discussions about the justice system. It's not a common everyday word, but it's important for understanding legal topics.

In ancient China, prisons were often simple enclosures or pits where criminals were held. The character 囚 reflects this early concept of imprisonment as physical confinement. Understanding that the outer 囗 represents a physical barrier helps you see why the character looks like a person in a box. This character also appears in classical texts and idioms, so knowing its origin gives you insight into how ancient Chinese society viewed punishment and justice.

囚 often combines with other characters to create compound words related to imprisonment. For example, 囚犯 (prisoner) combines 囚 with 犯 (to commit a crime), 囚禁 (to imprison) combines 囚 with 禁 (to forbid), and 囚车 (prison van) combines 囚 with 车 (vehicle). You can also see it in less common words like 囚牢 (prison) or 囚徒 (captive). Learning these combinations helps you expand your vocabulary in legal and social contexts.

Common words containing 囚 include: 囚犯 (qiú fàn) — Prisoner; convict.; 囚禁 (qiú jìn) — To imprison; to confine.; 囚车 (qiú chē) — Prison van; paddy wagon..