Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (木) should be narrower and slightly shorter, while the right component (困) is wider and frames the central tree box.
1. Meaning
to tie, bind, bundle up
a bunch, a bundle (as a measure word)to tie someone up (capturing)
Verb and ClassifierNeutral#actions#fastening#measurement
Sample Usage
把柴捆起来。
Bǎ chái kǔn qǐlái.
Tie the firewood together into a bundle.
买了一捆葱。
Mǎi le yì kǔn cōng.
Bought a bunch of scallions.
2. Sound
/[kʰuɪn²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
捆
kǔnkun3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=kǔn
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
kun
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "u" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
k
Type: Aspirated Velar
Sounds like: k sound like in kite
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Strong gust of air from throat! Tissue held in front MUST fly forward.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue raised against the soft palate, releasing a burst of air.
Final Rhyme
un
Vowel Group: -u vowel group
Sounds like: -oon rhymes with moon
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'wuhn'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: un is short for uen
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low like a sigh of disappointment before rising back up in pitch.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, kǔn changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35), becoming kún.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the third tone dipping contour with a flat or falling tone, or dropping the final nasal 'n' ending.
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Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: start medium-high, dip sharply down to your chest, and sweep back up to the right.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (木) should be narrower and slightly shorter, while the right component (困) is wider and frames the central tree box.
4. Components
Radical木 · Tree Radical (wood, tree, timber)
Semantic Clue (形旁):木 (indicates that the object being tied or bundled is made of wood or related to timber/branches)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):困 (original sound: kun)
Take wooden branches (木) and enclose them tightly inside a boundary or fence (困), tying them all together into a bundle.
木 wood / tree
困 surrounded / trapped (providing the pronunciation kun)
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
6· Phonetic Root: 困 (kùn)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the semantic tree radical (木) and the phonetic/enclosure element (困), originally denoting the binding of firewood timber into neat bundles for carrying.
Semantic Evolution: Shifted from strictly binding firewood to a general verb for tying or binding anything together, and further extended to a measure word for bundles.
Firewood bundles were essential fuel units in ancient China, making 'binding wood' a crucial daily verb.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
khốn
Mandarin tone 3 corresponds roughly to Vietnamese hỏi tone or ngã tone depending on historical strata.
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Kanji (Japanese)
On: コン / Kun: つとむ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
곤
Sound Shift Bridge: The initial k- and final -n match Germanic cognates or loan structures where applicable, though primarily preserved as a modern reading.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
You take several pieces of WOOD (木) and TRAP (困) them inside a tight rope, TIEING them together (捆) into a neat bundle.