勾 Stroke Order — How to Write 勾

Stroke Order

勾 is written in 4 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 勹, then complete the remaining strokes.

Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.

勾 Radical and Character Components

Components:勹厶

Radical: 勹 + 2 more strokes

勾 Pronunciation and Pinyin

gōu
gòu

Meanings of 勾 in Chinese

gōu勾

To mark, tick off, or cross out (e.g., words, items on a list) with a pen or pencil to indicate deletion, selection, or completion.

老师用红笔勾出了学生作业中的错别字。

The teacher used a red pen to mark out the typos in the student's homework.

To draw an outline or sketch; to delineate.

她用铅笔轻轻地勾勒出女孩的侧影。

She gently sketched the girl's profile with a pencil.

To fill joints or seams in construction with mortar, cement, or similar materials; to point (masonry or tiles).

师傅们正在给新砌的墙勾缝。

The master workers are pointing the newly built wall.

To thicken (with starch) or season food.

炒菜时，最后勾个芡能让汤汁更浓郁。

When stir-frying, thickening the sauce with starch at the end can make it richer.

To pull, attract, or collude with; to entice.

她用甜美的笑容勾住了在场所有人的心。

She captured everyone's heart in the room with her sweet smile.

To stay, to linger, or to make a brief stop, similar to '勾留' (gōuliú) meaning to stay for a short while.

他在风景如画的小镇勾留了一宿。

He stayed for a night in the picturesque small town.

To seize, capture, or deeply captivate, often implying a strong, almost irresistible allure.

她那动人的歌声，真是勾人心弦

Her moving singing truly plucks at one's heartstrings.

In ancient Chinese mathematics, 'gōu' refers to the shorter leg of a right-angled triangle, as seen in the 'gōu gǔ theorem' (Pythagorean theorem).

计算直角三角形的勾时，我们通常会用到勾股定理。

When calculating the 'gōu' (shorter leg) of a right-angled triangle, we usually apply the Pythagorean theorem.

gòu勾

A shady or dishonest affair; a misdeed, especially a secret or illicit one.

他们背地里在干什么勾当？

What shady business are they doing behind our backs?

To be enough; to suffice (colloquial variant of 够).

这点心勾你饱了吗？

Is this snack enough to satisfy you?

Common Words and Phrases with 勾

gōu勾dā搭

To flirt or try to pick up someone, often casually or with ulterior motives; also, to collude or gang up with others, typically for illicit or improper activities.

小丽担心她的弟弟会被那些不三不四的人勾搭，学坏了

Xiaoli worried that her younger brother would be enticed by those shady characters and learn bad habits.

gòu勾dàng当

Illicit activities or shady dealings, often referring to evil practices.

他最近鬼鬼祟祟的，不知道在搞什么勾当。

He's been acting suspiciously lately, I wonder what kind of shady business he's involved in.

gōu勾duì兑

To blend different grades of liquor, often adding flavorings, to achieve a desired taste or quality.

这家酒厂通过精心的勾兑，生产出了口感醇厚、风味独特的白酒。

This distillery, through meticulous blending, produced a baijiu with a mellow taste and unique flavor.

gōu勾fèng缝

To fill the joints of brickwork or masonry with mortar or cement.

工人正在给墙壁勾缝，以确保结构稳固且外观整洁。

The workers are grouting the wall to ensure the structure is stable and the appearance is neat.

gōu勾gōu勾dā搭dā搭

To flirt with someone; to collude or conspire, often for illicit purposes.

考试时，那两个同学老是勾勾搭搭，肯定在作弊。

During the exam, those two students were constantly colluding, they must have been cheating.

gōu勾gǔ股dìng定lǐ理

The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides (legs).

在学习几何时，我们经常会用到勾股定理来计算直角三角形的边长。

When studying geometry, we often use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the side lengths of right-angled triangles.

gōu勾huà画

To draw the outline of; to sketch; to portray.

她用生动的语言勾画了一个充满诗意的梦境。

She used vivid language to portray a poetic dreamscape.

gōu勾huì绘

draw the outline of

这篇文章巧妙地勾绘了主人公复杂的内心世界

This article skillfully depicts the protagonist's complex inner world.

gōu勾hún魂

To deeply captivate or allure someone, often to the point of distraction or obsession.

她那双迷人的眼睛真是勾魂，让人一见倾心

Her charming eyes are truly captivating, making people fall in love at first sight.

gōu勾jiàn践

Gou Jian (?-465 BC) was a king of the Yue state during the Spring and Autumn period. After being defeated and humiliated by the State of Wu, he famously persevered through hardships ('slept on brushwood and tasted gall') to rebuild his state and army. He eventually conquered Wu and became a hegemon.

勾践卧薪尝胆的故事流传至今，激励着人们永不放弃

The story of Goujian's perseverance, 'sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall', has been passed down to this day, inspiring people to never give up.

gōu勾jié结

To collude or conspire secretly, often for an improper or illegal purpose.

他们暗中勾结，企图操纵市场价格，以获取不正当的利益。

They secretly colluded, attempting to manipulate market prices to gain illicit profits.

gōu勾lè勒

to draw the outline of; to sketch; to give a brief account of; to outline

画家仅仅用几笔就勾勒出了一幅生动的山水画。

The painter sketched a vivid landscape with just a few strokes.

gōu勾lián连

To collude or conspire with someone, often secretly and for illicit purposes; it can also mean to be implicated or involved in something, usually in a negative sense.