巾

jīn

Definitions

jīn (noun) cloth; fabric; towel

jīn (noun) kerchief; headscarf

Etymology

Pictograph of a cloth hanging downwards.

About

巾 is a foundational radical and pictogram originally depicting cloth hanging from a line or tied at its center, representing textiles. In modern usage, it primarily denotes items like a towel or kerchief, while also serving as a semantic component in characters related to fabric, such as 帖 (towel) and 帆 (sail). Structurally, it consists solely of the draped form without phonetic elements, functioning as radical 50 in Chinese orthography.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这条毛巾很软。

Zhè tiáo máojīn hěn ruǎn.

This towel is very soft.

我用毛巾擦脸。

Wǒ yòng máojīn cā liǎn.

I use a towel to wipe my face.

她戴了一条红围巾。

Tā dài le yī tiáo hóng wéijīn.

She is wearing a red scarf.

请给我一些纸巾。

Qǐng gěi wǒ yīxiē zhǐjīn.

Please give me some tissues.

妈妈把浴巾挂在浴室里。

Māma bǎ yùjīn guà zài yùshì lǐ.

Mom hung the bath towel in the bathroom.

跑步时他喜欢戴头巾。

Pǎobù shí tā xǐhuān dài tóujīn.

He likes to wear a headscarf when running.

如果天气冷，我会围上围巾。

Rúguǒ tiānqì lěng, wǒ huì wéi shàng wéijīn.

If the weather is cold, I will put on a scarf.

她用柔软的毛巾轻轻擦拭婴儿的皮肤。

Tā yòng róuruǎn de máojīn qīngqīng cāshì yīng'ér de pífū.

She gently wipes the baby's skin with a soft towel.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 巾

巾