腰(yāo)

HSK 413 strokes

the waist and lower back

Print a 腰 worksheet PDFPractice writing 腰

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
yāo
Meaning
the waist and lower back; (bound form) kidney of an animal (as food); the waist of trousers or a skirt; (metonym) money pouch; pocket; (bound form) the middle section of an upright object (mountain, bottle etc)
Strokes
13
HSK level
HSK 4
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where 腰 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Phonetic-semantic compound⿰⺼要

In this compound, the meaning comes from ⺼ (flesh); 要 supplies the sound.

One part carries the meaning, the other suggests the sound.

Made of

⺼要yào

Parts are arranged left to right.

How to write 腰 step by step

13 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13

Words with 腰

Common words using 腰 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

xià下yāo腰

(gymnastics) to do a bridge; to do a crab

Open 下腰 page →
zhàng仗yāo腰

to back sb up; to support (from the rear)

Open 仗腰 page →
bàn半yāo腰

middle; halfway

Open 半腰 page →
shēn伸lǎn懒yāo腰

to stretch oneself (on waking or when tired etc)

Open 伸懒腰 page →
bàn半shān山yāo腰

the mid-slope of a mountain

Open 半山腰 page →
chā叉yāo腰

to put one's hands on one's hips

Open 叉腰 page →
shān山yāo腰

the mid-slope of a mountain

Open 山腰 page →
wān弯yāo腰

to stoop

Open 弯腰 page →

Related characters

More HSK 4 characters

丈与严临之乎亚企

From 腰’s common words

下仗半伸懒山叉弯

Ready to master 腰?

Trace 腰 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.

Practice 腰 onlineGenerate worksheet PDFBrowse all of HSK 4 →