骨
contributes the sense of bone — skeletal parts of the body · Kangxi radical 188
contributes the sense of bone — skeletal parts of the body, and by extension a rigid frame
The upper part, 冎, was a picture of a bare bone or joint — a knobbed shaft drawn with a hollow socket, which survives today as the small crooked box at the top of 骨. Below it sits ⺼, the squeezed form of 肉 'flesh', showing bone still covered with meat. So the modern character is literally flesh under a jointed bone, and it names bones and bony structures in words like 骨骼 skeleton, 髓 marrow, 髖 pelvis and 髕 kneecap. In a few characters such as 滑 and 猾 it only supplies the sound, with no bone meaning.
骨 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes the sense of bone — skeletal parts of the body
- Strokes
- 9
- Characters
- 24
- Role
- Contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 188
Characters with 骨 (18 of 24)
HSK 5 · 2
Beyond HSK · 16
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 骨 mean?
骨 means "contributes the sense of bone — skeletal parts of the body". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 骨?
24 characters in this dictionary contain 骨, including ones at HSK 5.
Is 骨 a radical?
Yes — 骨 is Kangxi radical 188, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 骨 have?
骨 is written in 9 strokes.