How to Write 侏 (zhū) — Meaning “dwarf; midget”

Picture a person (亻) who is so short that they are only the size of a small red bean, and remember that 朱 sounds like 'zhu' as in 'zhu bean.' Alternatively, imagine the right side 朱 looks like a tiny tree, and a dwarf person is standing next to it.

The left radical 亻 is written first with two strokes: a left-falling stroke then a vertical stroke. The right part 朱 has six strokes: start with a left-falling stroke, then horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling, and finally a dot at the bottom. Make sure the left radical is narrow and tall, while the right side is wider, and do not forget the final dot in 朱.

All three share the person radical 亻, but their right sides differ. 侏 has 朱 (zhū) and means 'dwarf,' while 仰 (yǎng) has 卬 (áng) and means 'to look up,' and 仲 (zhòng) has 中 (zhōng) and means 'middle' or 'second.' Visually, 侏's right side has a dot at the bottom, 仰's right side curves upward, and 仲's right side is a box with a vertical line.

侏 appears mainly in compound words like 侏儒 (dwarf, midget), 侏罗纪 (Jurassic period), and 侏儒症 (dwarfism). It is not commonly used alone in daily speech, and using 侏 by itself to describe a person can be considered rude, while 侏儒 is a neutral medical or descriptive term.

Common words containing 侏 include: 侏儒 (zhū rú) — dwarf; midget; 侏罗纪 (zhū luó jì) — Jurassic; 侏儒症 (zhū rú zhèng) — dwarfism.