How to Write 腕 (wàn) — Meaning “Wrist”

Imagine your wrist wearing a watch, because 腕 is the wrist and a watch is often worn there. The left side 月 looks like the curved shape of a wrist, and the right side 宛 sounds like "one" — you have one wrist on each arm.

Pay attention to the left radical 月: it should be narrow and tall, not wide. The right part 宛 has a dot on top of 宀, and the bottom 夗 has a curved stroke — make sure the final stroke (乚) extends slightly downward.

腕 has the flesh radical 月 and means wrist, while 朔 has the moon radical 月 (same shape but different meaning) and means new moon or first day of the lunar month. 朕 has the flesh radical too but is an archaic pronoun meaning 'I' or 'we' used by emperors, not a body part.

You use 腕 in words like 手腕 (shǒuwàn) for wrist or to mean 'skill/trick' in phrases like 耍手腕 (play tricks). 护腕 (hùwàn) is a wristband or wrist guard used in sports like basketball to protect the wrist.

Common words containing 腕 include: 手腕 (shǒu wàn) — Wrist.; 护腕 (hù wàn) — wristband; wrist guard; 腕力 (wàn lì) — Wrist strength.