How to Write 鬃 (zōng) — Meaning “mane; bristles”

Imagine a horse with a long mane (髟) that has many bristles standing up like a forest (宗 can remind you of a cluster). The mane is thick and bristly, just like the character looks complex with many strokes.

The top part 髟 has three hair-like strokes on the left and a curved sweep on the right; keep those strokes parallel and evenly spaced. The bottom part 宗 is narrower, so write it centered under the radical to keep the character balanced. A common mistake is making the bottom too wide, which ruins the proportion.

鬃 means mane or bristles, usually on animals or brushes. 髭 (zī) means the mustache above the upper lip, like a small hair patch. 髹 (xiū) means to lacquer or paint with lacquer, and it has no hair meaning—it uses a different bottom radical (休).

You will see it in words like 马鬃 (horse mane) and 鬃毛 (bristly hair on animals). 鬃刷 is a brush made from stiff bristles, often used for cleaning or painting. It is not a common daily character, but it appears when talking about horses or traditional brushes.

Common words containing 鬃 include: 马鬃 (mǎ zōng) — Horse mane; 鬃毛 (zōng máo) — mane; bristles; 鬃刷 (zōng shuā) — bristle brush.