How to Write 球 (qiú) — Meaning “Ball”

Imagine a king (王) asking (求) for a ball to play with. The left side looks like the king's crown, and the right side 求 can be seen as a person reaching out for a round ball. This visual helps connect the components to the meaning 'ball'.

Pay attention to the proportions: the left 王 should be narrow and the right 求 wider. A common mistake is making the right side too small or forgetting the last dot at the bottom right of 求. Also, stroke order for 求 is: horizontal, vertical hook, dot, lift, left-falling, right-falling, dot — make sure the hook is clear.

All three share the 王 (jade) radical, but their right parts differ, giving them different sounds and meanings. 球 (qiú) means 'ball', 玲 (líng) means the tinkling sound of jade, and 玳 (dài) refers to tortoise shell. Visually, 球 has a more complex right side with a dot and two downward strokes at the bottom, while 玲 has 令 and 玳 has 代.

球 is used for all types of balls in sports, like 足球 (soccer), 篮球 (basketball), and the name for Earth: 地球 (dì qiú). It is a very common character in daily life — for example, when talking about games, sports events, or geography. Culturally, China loves table tennis (乒乓球), but 足球 and 篮球 are also hugely popular.

Common words containing 球 include: 足球 (zú qiú) — soccer; football; 篮球 (lán qiú) — basketball; 地球 (dì qiú) — Earth.