曲
qū · HSK 7
yeast; surname Qu; Aspergillus (includes many common molds)
🍶 qū sounds like coo — the koji yeast that ferments rice into sake
Read as qū (not qǔ melody), 曲 names the fermentation starter: yeast and Aspergillus koji mold. It is the leaven that turns rice into sake, soy sauce, and vinegar. Also a surname.
曲 — pictograph of a bent carpenter's tool or curved object
曲 is a pictograph showing a bent or curved shape, originally depicting a carpenter's measuring tool or a curved frame. From this concrete image of bending came the abstract senses of 'crooked,' 'wrong,' and 'tune/melody' (since songs follow winding contours). The reading qū carries the bending senses, while qǔ means 'song.'