曲 qū — bent; song · English

曲

qū

bent; song

At a glance · 曲

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文、金文象器物弯曲之形，象形。小篆沿为「曲」，引申为乐曲。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「曲」本指弯曲，又指歌乐（乐曲）。

Structure

象形字，象器物的弯曲形状。

At a glance

Pinyinqū

Radical曰

Strokes6

UnicodeU+66F2

Character type象形

Theme礼乐

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English bent; song Bent, curved; a song or tune.

Français courbe; chanson Courbe; une chanson ou mélodie.

Español curvo; canción Curvo; una canción o melodía.

العربية منحنٍ؛ أغنية معوج أو أغنية ولحن.

Русский изогнутый; песня Изогнутый; песня или мелодия.

Common words

歌曲gē qǔsong
弯曲wān qūbend

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