麴 meaning and stroke order
Yeast; to leaven; surname
How to write 麴, stroke by stroke
19 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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How 麴 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wheat.
麥 gives the meaning and 匊 hints at the sound.
Radical: 麦 (wheat), shared by 3 characters on this site.
How to remember 麴
On the left is 麥 (mài, wheat), the grain that ferments. On the right is 匊 (jū), which gives the sound and looks like hands cupping grain, so picture a handful of wheat left to turn into yeast.
麴 refers to the fermentation starter used to make rice wine, soy sauce and vinegar, and it also appears as a surname. In mainland China the everyday form is usually written 曲, while 麴 survives in traditional texts and as a surname. Example: 用酒麴做米酒。(Yòng jiǔqū zuò mǐjiǔ.) Use a wine starter to make rice wine.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 麴 with the similar-looking 麯, another variant with the same sound and meaning. Also keep the first tone qū, not the third tone qǔ that 曲 has when it means a song or tune.
Questions about 麴
How many strokes are in 麴?
麴 is written with 19 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 麴 mean?
麴 (qū) means yeast; to leaven; surname.
How do you pronounce 麴?
麴 is pronounced qū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 麴?
The radical of 麴 is 麦, which carries the idea of "wheat". Dictionaries list 麴 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 麴?
麴 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 曲 and 麹, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 麴 the same as 曲?
For the meaning of yeast or fermentation starter, simplified Chinese writes 曲, so 酒麴 becomes 酒曲 (jiǔqū). As a surname, however, 麴 is often kept as its own character and is not replaced by 曲.
What is 麴 in Japanese food words like koji?
The mold starter called koji in Japanese is 麴 in Chinese, read qū. It is the same culture used to ferment grains for sake, miso and soy sauce.