How to Write 秃 (tū) — Meaning “bald; bare”

Picture a grain plant (禾) that has lost all its leaves and become completely bare, sitting on a small table (几). This bare, empty image helps you recall that 秃 means "bald" or "bare".

Write 禾 first (5 strokes), then the bottom 几 (2 strokes: left vertical and horizontal fold hook). The bottom should be slightly wider than the top. A common mistake is to write the bottom part like 儿 (as in 秀) — remember the final hook distinguishes 几 from 儿.

禾 is just the grain radical and does not mean "bald". 秀 has 禾 on top and 乃 (a bent shape) below, while 秃 has 禾 on top and 几 (a table shape) below. Also, 秃 has a negative meaning (bald, bare), while 秀 means "elegant" or "show" — opposite in tone.

秃 appears in words like 秃头 (bald head) and 秃顶 (balding), and also 秃笔 (worn-out writing brush, used metaphorically for poor writing). In Chinese culture, directly calling someone 秃头 can be rude, so it is better to use descriptive terms politely.

Common words containing 秃 include: 秃顶 (tū dǐng) — bald head; balding; 秃头 (tū tóu) — bald head; 秃笔 (tū bǐ) — worn-out writing brush.