Types of needles - Chinese and Korean acupuncture needles

When looking for acupuncture needles, have you come across the term Chinese or Korean needles? Have you wondered what that actually means? The specification of the needle type does not indicate the place of its production (we must look for such information in the manufacturer's description). So what is the difference between Chinese and Korean needles and which ones will be the most suitable for you?

In fact, the distinction between "Chinese-type needles" and "Korean-type needles" defines how the needle is constructed and, above all, what its handle looks like. On one hand, the task of the handle is to make it easier for the therapist to use the acupuncture needle and to ensure patient safety (the needle bends less thanks to the handle and the therapist does not directly touch the blade that will be punctured in the patient's body, which allows you to keep the needle sterile). On the other hand, when talking about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments, the shape of the handle can affect the course of the treatment and energy movement.

Needles of particular types may also differ in the metal from which both the handle and the entire blade are made. Needle blades are made of surgical steel but sometimes they are additionally coated with silver or gold. Korean needles are available primarily with steel handles. The handles of Chinese acupuncture needles are usually made of copper, silver or gold.

Korean type acupuncture needles

We start with these needles because they are the most popular type of acupuncture needles today. Korean-type needles have steel handles, created as a result of tightly wrapping the tip of the needle with wire. Such a handle is evenly cut at the end (i.e. it does not have a characteristic loop). This is the simplest type of needle and as such the most versatile and widespread in use. This type of acupuncture needles is used by both acupuncturists and dry needling physiotherapists.

Sometimes you can find the opinion among Traditional Chinese Medicine therapists that needles with this type of bevelled handles help to dissipate excess Qi at the acupuncture point - such a needle is supposed to dissipate energy. However, this is not a commonly accepted assumption.

It can be said that Korean-type steel needles are the basic type of needles used today.

Chinese acupuncture needles

Chinese type needles are more traditional type of needles used for acupuncture treatments. They differ from needles with a Korean type handle in that their handle is ended with a characteristic loop. These needles are often chosen by acupuncturists and TCM therapists, but less often by dry needling physiotherapists (there are no contraindications to using such needles, they are just usually slightly more expensive than Korean needles).

Chinese-type needles may have handles made of steel, but also often, and even more often, there are copper, silver or gold handles. These are the metals from which needles for acupuncture treatments have been made in China for centuries. Gold needles are said to have a tonic effect and to stimulate Yang. Silver needles, on the other hand, are better suited to dissipate excess Qi energy.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, you can meet the belief that needles with loops affect the circulation of Qi in a different way. The energy, thanks to the loop is supposed to return back to the acupuncture point. Thanks to this, needles of this type are to bring better results when we want to strengthen the energy at a given point. However, as we wrote when we described Korean needles, this is not a widely recognized fact in TCM.

To sum up, Chinese-type needles are a more traditional type of needles that are chosen by acupuncturists from the mainstream of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

All of the following types of needles come in different sizes. You can read more about available needle sizes and what needle size to choose in other articles on our blog.