bone

Origin & mnemonic

This radical originates from a pictograph in oracle-bone script depicting the shape of an animal bone with distinct joints and protruding ends. Over time, it evolved into the seal-script form with characteristic vertical and horizontal strokes.

Mnemonic: Remember the bone radical as a skeletal frame with overlapping horizontal strokes creating hollow chambers like a ribcage.

• 骨gǔ🔊

  bone

  10 strokes

• 骫wěi🔊

  be bent

  12 strokes

• 骭gàn🔊

  shinbone

  12 strokes

• 肮āng🔊

  used in 骯髒|肮脏[ang1 zang1]

  13 strokes

• 骰tóu🔊

  dice

  13 strokes

• 骱xiè🔊

  joint of bones

  13 strokes

• 骶dǐ🔊

  (bound form) sacrum

  14 strokes

• 骷kū🔊

  used in 骷髏|骷髅[ku1 lou2]

  14 strokes

• 骸hái🔊

  bones of the body

  15 strokes

• 骴cī🔊

  a putrid carcass

  15 strokes

• 骹qiāo🔊

  shank (the leg from knee to ankle)

  15 strokes

• 骺hóu🔊

  (anatomy) epiphysis

  15 strokes

• 骼gé🔊

  used in 骨骼[gu3 ge2]

  15 strokes

• 髀bì🔊

  buttocks

  17 strokes

• 髁kē🔊

  condyles

  17 strokes

• 髂qià🔊

  ilium

  18 strokes

• 髄suǐ🔊

  variant of 髓[sui3]

  18 strokes

• 髅lóu🔊

  used in 髑髏|髑髅[du2 lou2] and 骷髏|骷髅[ku1 lou2]

  18 strokes

• 䯝suǐ🔊

  variant of 髓[sui3]

  19 strokes

• 髆bó🔊

  shoulder blade

  19 strokes

• 髇xiāo🔊

  (onom.) sound of arrows

  19 strokes

• 髈pǎng🔊

  (dialect) thigh

  19 strokes

• 髋kuān🔊

  pelvis

  19 strokes

• 髌bìn🔊

  kneecapping

  19 strokes

• 髍mó🔊

  paralysis of one side of the body

  20 strokes

• 髎liáo🔊

  (literary) hip bone

  20 strokes

• 脏zàng🔊

  viscera

  HSK 2

  21 strokes

• 髓suǐ🔊

  (bound form) bone marrow; (fig.) innermost part

  21 strokes

• 体tǐ🔊

  body

  22 strokes

• 髑dú🔊

  used in 髑髏|髑髅[du2 lou2]

  22 strokes