How to Write 褥 (rù) — Meaning “mattress; bedding”

Imagine a soft mattress (褥) that you "ruin" (sounds like rù) by spilling something on it, and the left radical 衤 reminds you it is made of fabric. Or think of the right side 辱 as a person lying down (like the shape of 辰) with a small "inch" (寸) of cushion, meaning bedding.

The radical 衤 should be written narrow on the left, with the first dot aligned with the horizontal stroke. The right side 辱 has two parts: 辰 (7 strokes) then 寸 (3 strokes) — be careful not to make the 寸 too large, as it should sit lower and slightly right of 辰. A common mistake is to make the whole character too wide; keep the right side compact.

褥 (rù) specifically means mattress or bedding and contains 辱 on the right. 裨 (bì or pí) means "to benefit" or "auxiliary" and has 卑 (bēi) on the right. 裰 (duō) means "to mend clothes" and has 叕 (zhuó) on the right. Visually, the right-side components are completely different, and only 褥 is used for bedding.

褥 is most commonly seen in the word 褥子 (rù zi) meaning a mattress or sleeping mat, often a thick padded quilt placed on a bed. It also appears in 被褥 (bèi rù) for the whole set of bedding (quilt and mattress) and 床褥 (chuáng rù) for mattress pad. In traditional Chinese homes, 褥子 is usually a cotton-filled pad that is aired and beaten regularly to keep it fluffy.

Common words containing 褥 include: 褥子 (rù zi) — mattress; sleeping mat; 被褥 (bèi rù) — Bedding (quilt and mattress); 床褥 (chuáng rù) — bedding; mattress pad.