Kangxi Radical Bow

⼸ labels the bow radical in dictionary indexes.

A radical is a character component used to group dictionary entries. In a radical-and-stroke index, ⼸ names the bow category and the count of remaining strokes narrows the search. It labels character structure, not the ordinary written word “bow.”

The earliest surviving oracle-bone forms of 弓—early marks carved on bone—are followed by bronze, Chu and Qin manuscripts, seal script, and clerical script. The shape developed over time from a picture of a bow; ⼸ is not a computer-era invention. Later dictionary senses of 弓 include bow-shaped objects, bending, and a traditional land measure. The eighteenth-century Kangxi dictionary used it as radical 57 to organize entries. ⼸ isolates that catalog role; it does not carry all of 弓’s everyday senses.

Why does ⼸ look like 弓?

Their similar shapes come from a shared history.

⼸ is the dedicated radical symbol; 弓 is the corresponding ordinary Han character and can also appear as a component. The Unicode Standard 17.0.0 describes the radical glyph as a representative Kangxi dictionary form. Fonts and locales may draw its outline very close to 弓 or somewhat differently.

How do I type ⼸?

Use a Unicode-aware editor’s character-entry feature. Exact keystrokes depend on the operating system and app; this is a text symbol, not an emoji-picker item.