How to Write 镞 (zú) — Meaning “arrowhead”

Imagine a metal arrowhead (钅) that belongs to a whole clan (族) of arrows. The right side 族 looks like many family members standing together, so you can remember that the arrowhead is part of a larger set of arrows used by a clan.

Pay attention to the right side 族: it has 11 strokes and starts with 方 (square) at the top, then 人 (person), and finally 矢 (arrow). Make sure the left radical 钅 is narrow and tall, while the right side is wider. A common mistake is forgetting the diagonal stroke in 矢.

镞 means 'arrowhead' and contains the arrow component 矢 inside 族, while 锲 (qiè) means 'to carve' and has the component 契 (agreement), and 锴 (kǎi) means 'high-quality iron' with 皆 (all). Visually, 镞 has 矢, but 锲 has 大 and 刀, and 锴 has 比 and 白.

镞 is rarely used alone in daily speech; it appears in literary or historical texts, especially in words like 箭镞 (arrowhead) and 锋镞 (sharp point). In ancient China, arrowheads were often made of bronze or iron, and 镞 reflects the importance of archery in warfare and hunting.

Common words containing 镞 include: 箭镞 (jiàn zú) — arrowhead; 镞头 (zú tóu) — arrowhead; 锋镞 (fēng zú) — Arrowhead; sharp point.