How to Write 绾 (wǎn) — Meaning “to tie up (hair); to bind”

Imagine a girl with long hair (like a 'guan' sound) using a silk ribbon (纟) to tie it up for a formal event. The character visually shows 'silk' plus 'official', thinking of an official combing and tying hair neatly.

Pay attention to the left side's three strokes: the first is a long horizontal, then two smaller strokes. On the right, 官 has a roof shape (宀) over a flat line and then two stacked boxes; make sure not to connect the bottom of the right component with the left radical.

绾 specifically means to tie up or coil (usually hair), while 绑 (bǎng) means to tie or bind tightly (like tying a package or a person) and 绒 (róng) means soft hair or fleece. Visually, 绑 uses 邦 on the right, and 绒 uses 戎, whereas 绾 uses 官.

绾 is used in literary or formal contexts, such as describing a traditional hairstyle, for example '绾起长发' meaning to coil up long hair. It appears in classical poetry and historical dramas but is not common in everyday speech.

Common words containing 绾 include: 绾起 (wǎn qǐ) — to coil up; to tie up; 绾发 (wǎn fā) — to tie up one's hair; 绾结 (wǎn jié) — to tie a knot.