曲 meaning and stroke order
Tune; song
How to write 曲, stroke by stroke
6 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
Meaning of 曲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- tune
- song
- bent
- crooked
- wrong
- variant of 麴|曲[qu1]
- fermentation starter; leaven (molds, yeasts or bacteria used in fermenting soy products or brewing etc)
- Taiwan pr. [qu2]
How 曲 is built
Pictographic character. A folded object 曰.
Radical: 曰 (to speak), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 曲
Picture 曲 as a folded object: the box shape 曰 bent over itself, with two vertical strokes 丨丨 poking through like the creases of a fold. Something folded is bent and crooked (qū), and a melody that bends up and down is a tune (qǔ).
Read it qǔ when it means a song or piece of music, as in 歌曲 (gēqǔ) and 戏曲 (xìqǔ). Read it qū when it means bent or twisted, as in 弯曲 (wānqū) and 曲线 (qūxiàn). Example: 这首歌曲很好听。(Zhè shǒu gēqǔ hěn hǎotīng.) This song sounds great.
Common mistake: Learners often use one tone for every word. Remember that music words take third tone qǔ (歌曲, 乐曲), while shape and distortion words take first tone qū (弯曲, 扭曲, 歪曲, 曲折). Also do not confuse 曲 with 由 (yóu) or 甲 (jiǎ). 曲 has two vertical strokes that both stick out the top.
Common words with 曲
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 歌曲 | gēqǔ | song | HSK 5 |
| 弯曲 | wānqū | to bend; to curve around | HSK 6 |
| 乐曲 | yuèqǔ | musical composition | HSK 6 |
| 戏曲 | xìqǔ | Chinese opera | HSK 6 |
| 扭曲 | niǔqū | to twist; to warp | HSK 7-9 |
| 曲线 | qūxiàn | curve; curved line | HSK 7-9 |
| 歪曲 | wāiqū | to distort; to misrepresent | HSK 7-9 |
| 曲折 | qūzhé | winding; (fig.) complicated | HSK 7-9 |
| 小曲 | xiǎoqǔ | popular song; folk tune | HSK 7-9 |
| 曲子 | qǔzi | poem for singing; tune | |
| 曲棍球 | qūgùnqiú | field hockey | |
| 作曲家 | zuòqǔjiā | composer; songwriter | |
| 曲奇 | qūqí | cookie (loanword via Cantonese 曲奇 kuk1 kei4) | |
| 作曲 | zuòqǔ | to compose (music) |
曲 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 曲
Learning 曲 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 曲
How many strokes are in 曲?
曲 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 曲 mean?
曲 (qǔ) means tune; song. A common word with it is 歌曲 (gēqǔ), meaning "song".
How do you pronounce 曲?
曲 has more than one reading: qǔ and qū. The most common is qǔ, said in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 曲?
The radical of 曲 is 曰, which carries the idea of "to speak". Dictionaries list 曲 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 曲?
The traditional form of 曲 is 麯 and 麴. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 曲 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 曲 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 曲 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 扭曲 and 歪曲?
Both use qū. 扭曲 (niǔqū) means to twist or warp, and it can describe physical objects or a distorted mind. 歪曲 (wāiqū) usually means to distort facts or misrepresent what someone said.
Why does 曲 also mean a fermentation starter?
In simplified Chinese, 曲 also stands for the older character 麴 (qū), which means the molds or yeasts used to brew alcohol or ferment soy products. This is a character merger, so the meaning is not connected to bending. In Taiwan this sense is pronounced qú.