How to Write 朔 (shuò) — Meaning “New moon; north”

Imagine the left side 屰 as a person holding a stick pointing upward (like a 'no' gesture) and the right side 月 as the moon. Think: 'No moon visible — it's the new moon.' For the north meaning, picture a cold north wind (朔风) blowing the moon away.

The left side 屰 has 6 strokes: first a horizontal stroke, then a vertical stroke, then a horizontal fold, then a short stroke, followed by two dots. The right side 月 is narrower and slightly taller. A common mistake is making the left side too wide — keep it compact and balanced with the moon radical.

朔 (shuò) means new moon or north, while 朋 (péng) means friend and is composed of two 月 radicals side by side. 朊 (ruǎn) is a rare character meaning protein or soft, with 月 on the left and 元 on the right. Visually, 朔 has the complex left side 屰, unlike the simpler left parts of 朋 and 朊.

朔 is not common in everyday speech but appears in formal or literary contexts, such as 朔日 (first day of lunar month) or 朔风 (north wind). It also appears in place names like 朔州 in Shanxi. Culturally, it relates to the traditional Chinese calendar and the concept of lunar phases.

Common words containing 朔 include: 朔日 (shuò rì) — The first day of the lunar month; 朔风 (shuò fēng) — North wind; wintry wind; 朔方 (shuò fāng) — The North.