ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

cloth; towel; scarf

jīn
3 strokes · 巾 — pictograph: a cloth hanging from a sash · HSK 3

Where 巾 comes from

A length of cloth draped over a belt and hanging down, drawn in three strokes. It is the radical for almost everything made of fabric: 帽 (hat), 带 (belt), 布 (cloth), 帐 (tent), 席 (mat).

巾 in Chinese culture

毛巾 is a towel and 围巾 a scarf, the two words a learner meets first. 巾帼 — women's headdress — became the literary word for women themselves, as in 巾帼英雄, a heroine. The scholar's 头巾 headcloth marked a man of letters for centuries.

Example

毛巾 máojīn — towel

请给我一条毛巾。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì tiáo máojīn.
Please give me a towel.

How to remember it

A CLOTH hanging down off a belt — one stroke of sash, two of falling fabric.

巾 is the radical hiding in 帽 (hat), 带 (belt) and 席 (mat) — if it was woven, it probably carries this piece of cloth.

Same sound, different tones

1st jīn
cloth
3rd jǐn
tight
4th jìn
near

Words unlocked by 巾

毛巾 máojīn
towel
围巾 wéijīn
scarf

Related characters

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