寇

Tap the pinyin to hear it

to invade; to plunder; bandit; foe; enemy

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

Bandits mugging 攴 a person 元 in his home 宀

Components 宀元攴

outlaw · Heisig RSH #1885

完 finish + magic wand + crotch

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
成者为王，败者为寇	chéng zhě wéi wáng , bài zhě wéi kòu	see 成則為王，敗則為寇\|成则为王，败则为寇[cheng2 ze2 wei2 wang2 , bai4 ze2 wei2 kou4]
成则为王，败则为寇	chéng zé wéi wáng , bài zé wéi kòu	lit. called a king if successful, called a bandit if defeated (idiom); fig. losers are alw…
寇比力克	Kòu bǐ lì kè	see 庫布里克\|库布里克[Ku4 bu4 li3 ke4]
落草为寇	luò cǎo wéi kòu	(idiom) to take to the woods to become an outlaw
成王败寇	chéng wáng bài kòu	see 成則為王，敗則為寇\|成则为王，败则为寇[cheng2 ze2 wei2 wang2 , bai4 ze2 wei2 kou4]
胜者王侯败者寇	shèng zhě wáng hóu bài zhě kòu	the winners become princes and marquises; the losers are vilified as bandits (idiom); hist…
视如寇仇	shì rú kòu chóu	to regard as an enemy
日寇	rì kòu	Japanese invaders (during the Second Sino-Japanese War)
流寇	liú kòu	roving bandit; rebel band
草寇	cǎo kòu	bandits
司寇	Sī kòu	two-character surname Sikou
司寇	sī kòu	minister of criminal justice (official rank in imperial China)
寇准	Kòu Zhǔn	Kou Zhun (961-1023), Northern Song politician and poet
穷寇	qióng kòu	cornered enemy
寇攘	kòu rǎng	to rob and steal
倭寇	Wō kòu	Japanese pirates (in 16th and 17th century)

These characters use 寇 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
寇 sound part	kòu	bandit, thief; enemy; to invade
蔻	kòu	nutmeg, cardamom