曲

2 readings · tap one to hear it

tune; song; CL:支[zhi1]

Sound it out + = · + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Pictograph (象形字)

A folded object 曰

Components 曰丨 ×2

bent · Heisig RSH #967

brains

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

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

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
曲水县	Qǔ shuǐ Xiàn	Qüxü, a county in Lhasa City 拉薩市\|拉萨市[La1 sa4 Shi4], Tibet
平面曲线	píng miàn qū xiàn	(math.) plane curve
曲阳县	Qǔ yáng Xiàn	Quyang, a county in Baoding City 保定市[Bao3 ding4 Shi4], Hebei
阳曲县	Yáng qǔ Xiàn	Yangqu, a county in Taiyuan City 太原市[Tai4 yuan2 Shi4], Shanxi
河曲县	Hé qǔ Xiàn	Hequ, a county in Xinzhou City 忻州市[Xin1 zhou1 Shi4], Shanxi
曲江区	Qǔ jiāng Qū	Qujiang, a district of Shaoguan City 韶關市\|韶关市[Shao2 guan1 Shi4], Guangdong
代数曲面	dài shù qū miàn	algebraic surface
作曲家	zuò qǔ jiā	composer; songwriter
曲子	qǔ zi	poem for singing; tune; music; CL:支[zhi1]
代数曲线	dài shù qū xiàn	(math.) algebraic curve
曲水	Qǔ shuǐ	see 曲水縣\|曲水县[Qu3 shui3 Xian4]
文曲星	Wén qǔ xīng	constellation governing scholarship and examinations; (fig.) renowned literary genius; bra…
小曲	xiǎo qǔ	popular song; folk tune; ballad
元曲四大家	Yuán qǔ Sì Dà jiā	Four Great Yuan Dramatists, namely: Guan Hanqing 關漢卿\|关汉卿[Guan1 Han4 qing1], Zheng Guangzu …
金曲	jīn qǔ	hit song
作曲者	zuò qǔ zhě	composer; song writer
曲面	qū miàn	curved surface; surface
时代曲	shí dài qǔ	shidaiqu, a musical genre that originated in Shanghai in the 1920s, a fusion of Chinese fo…
曲风	qǔ fēng	music style; music genre
神曲	Shén qǔ	The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri 但丁

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

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
曲 sound part	qǔ	crooked, bent; wrong, false
蛐	qū	cricket; worm