柔 (róu): soft, flexible, supple
柔 (róu) is a Chinese character meaning “soft.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 矛 (structural) and 木 (structural). It ranks #1563 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 柔 wood 木 so soft it can be cut 矛. Its radical form 木 (tree) appears in many related characters such as 本 (běn, (bound form) root), 机 (jī, machine, opportunity), 条 (tiáo, strip).
Definitions
- soft
- flexible
- supple
Etymology & Origin
ideographicWood 木 so soft it can be cut 矛
Decomposition: ⿱矛木 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 柔 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 柔
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 柔道noun | róu dào | judo |
| 柔和adjective | róu hé | gentle |
| 轻柔 | qīng róu | soft |
| 柔弱adjective | róu ruò | weak |
| 柔情noun | róu qíng | gentle feelings |
| 优柔寡断phrase | yōu róu guǎ duàn | indecisive |
| 柔美adjective | róu měi | gentle and beautiful |
| 柔顺adjective | róu shùn | gentle and agreeable |
| 柔韧adjective | róu rèn | pliable and tough |
| 阴柔adjective | yīn róu | gentle and reserved |
| 柔情似水 | róu qíng sì shuǐ | tender and soft as water |
| 柔嫩adjective | róu nèn | tender |
| 柔性noun | róu xìng | flexibility |
| 柔术noun | róu shù | jujitsu |
| 以柔克刚 | yǐ róu kè gāng | to use softness to conquer strength (idiom) |
柔 appears in 41 compound words: 68 as the first character, 17 as the last, and 15 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 柔 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
Showing 5 of 6 idioms containing 柔.
Example Sentences
她的声音很柔和，听起来让人感到很舒服。
Tā de shēngyīn hěn róuhé, tīng qǐlai ràng rén gǎndào hěn shūfu.
Her voice is very soft and sounds very comfortable.
酒局洗脸球星尪 刘雨柔暴怒:孩子不是我一人
jiǔ jú xǐ liǎn qiú xīng 尪 liú yǔ róu bào nù : hái zǐ bù shì wǒ yī rén
Liu Yurou was furious: I am not the only child in the country
张苑柔:从生肖运势聊预测模型
zhāng 苑 róu : cóng shēng xiào yùn shì liáo yù cè mó xíng
Zhang Yuanrou: Let's talk about prediction models from the zodiac horoscope
钟柔美陷“A0”风波网民批人设崩坏欠公信力 ...
zhōng róu měi xiàn A 0 fēng bō wǎng mín pī rén shè bēng huài qiàn gōng xìn lì . . .
Zhong Roumei was caught in the "A0" turmoil, and netizens criticized the collapse of the character design and lacked credibility...
来怀柔过大年丨线路三:潮玩电竞闹新春,冰雪运动...
lái huái róu guò dà nián 丨 xiàn lù sān cháo wán diàn jìng nào xīn chūn , bīng xuě yùn dòng . . .
The first time I've been to Huairou, I've been to the city, and I've been to the city, and I've been to the city, and I've been to the city, and I've been to the city, and I've been to the city.
长城脚下天天有精彩,热闹至初七!怀柔民俗展演引爆新..
cháng chéng jiǎo xià tiān tiān yǒu jīng cǎi , rè nào zhì chū qī ! huái róu mín sú zhǎn yǎn yǐn bào xīn . .
Every day at the foot of the Great Wall, until the seventh day of the Lunar New Year! The Huairou Folklore Show will be a new...
为什么柔道是您孩子的最佳选择？
Wèishénme róudào shì nín háizi de zuì jiā xuǎnzé?
Why is judo the best choice for your child?
她以轻柔的语调说话。
Tā yǐ qīngróu de yǔdiào shuōhuà.
She spoke in soft tones.
他以前是个柔弱的小孩。
Tā yǐqián shì gè róuruò de xiǎohái.
He was a weak and delicate child.
山中的小径铺满了柔软的落叶，十分好走。
Shān zhōng de xiǎojìng pù mǎn le róuruǎn de luòyè, shífēn hǎozǒu.
The mountain path was under a blanket of leaves, soft and easy to walk on.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 柔 (róu) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 柔 and 硬?
How many strokes does 柔 have?
What is the radical of 柔?
What are the components of 柔?
What are common words containing 柔?
What characters sound the same as 柔 (róu)?
Is 柔 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 柔 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.