弩 meaning and stroke order
Crossbow; an arrow falling, a downward stroke
How to write 弩, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 弩
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- crossbow
How 弩 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Bow.
弓 gives the meaning and 奴 hints at the sound.
Radical: 弓 (bow), shared by 29 characters on this site.
How to remember 弩
弩 (nǔ) puts 奴 (nú) on top of 弓 (gōng, bow). The bow 弓 at the bottom gives the meaning, and 奴 on top gives the sound, so think of a bow that sounds like nú: a crossbow.
弩 means crossbow and appears mostly in historical, military, or fantasy contexts, often in compounds like 弓弩 (gōngnǔ, bows and crossbows) or 弩箭 (nǔjiàn, crossbow bolt). Example: 士兵拿起了弩。(Shìbīng ná qǐ le nǔ.) The soldier picked up the crossbow.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 弩 (nǔ, crossbow) with 努 (nǔ, to strive) from 努力 (nǔlì). They share 奴 on top and the same sound, but 努 has 力 (strength) below while 弩 has 弓 (bow).
Questions about 弩
How many strokes are in 弩?
弩 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 弩 mean?
弩 (nǔ) means crossbow; an arrow falling, a downward stroke.
How do you pronounce 弩?
弩 is pronounced nǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 弩?
The radical of 弩 is 弓, which carries the idea of "bow". Dictionaries list 弩 under this radical.
What does 剑拔弩张 mean?
剑拔弩张 (jiàn bá nǔ zhāng) literally means swords drawn and crossbows bent. It describes a very tense situation where conflict could break out at any moment.
Is 弩 used in everyday modern Chinese?
Not much. You will see it in history books, video games, martial arts novels, and idioms, but it rarely comes up in daily conversation.