The character 曲 — “tune”: how to write it and what it means

曲
qǔ

tune, song

6 strokes · HSK 5 · word page

The Chinese character 曲 is read qǔ and means “tune, song”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 曲

曲 has 6 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 曲, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 曲 is made of

Second reading: qū, “crooked, bent”.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 曲

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 曲?

曲 has 6 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 曲 mean?

曲 means “tune, song”. It appears in 歌曲 (“song”), 弯曲 (“curved”), 戏曲 (“traditional Chinese opera”), 乐曲 (“piece of music”).

How do you pronounce 曲?

曲 is read qǔ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 曲 have?

6 strokes.

← 诗 poem蹈 step →

More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 曲 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

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