巧
巧 (qiǎo) means “by coincidence”. It is made of 工 + 丂 and has 5 strokes, and is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 巧 into its parts
What 巧 is made of
- 工 gōng — labor
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丄 shàng — above
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丂 kǎo — obstruction of breath (qi)
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: 工 gives the meaning, 丂 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
巧 stroke order
Example sentences
真巧，我也去那儿。Zhēn qiǎo, wǒ yě qù nàr.What a coincidence, I'm going there too.
我去找他，不巧他不在家。Wǒ qù zhǎo tā, bù qiǎo tā bù zài jiā.I went to see him, but unfortunately he wasn't home.
Words with 巧
Also built with 工
- 功gōngachievement
- 左zuǒleft (direction)
- 巩gǒngto bind
- 差chàpoor
- 式shìformula
- 扛kángto carry on the shoulder
- 攻gōngto accuse
- 杠gāngpole
- 江jiāngriver
- 空kōngempty
- 红hóngred
- 虹hóngrainbow
Quick facts
| Pinyin | qiǎo |
|---|---|
| Meaning | by coincidence; skillful; clever |
| Strokes | 5 |
| Radical | 工 (work, #48) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 4 (exam 2025) · HSK 3 (2021) |
Questions about 巧
What does 巧 mean?
巧 (qiǎo) means “by coincidence; skillful; clever”.
How many strokes does 巧 have?
巧 has 5 strokes.
What is the radical of 巧?
The radical of 巧 is 工 (gōng, “work”), Kangxi radical number 48.
What parts make up 巧?
巧 is made of 工 (labor) and 丂 (obstruction of breath (qi)).
Which HSK level is 巧?
巧 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021).
Learn 巧 with its group
It is part of HSK 3 (2021) · Group 70: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.