夸 meaning and stroke order
To boast; to exaggerate; to praise
How to write 夸, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 夸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to boast; to exaggerate
- to praise
- used in transliteration
How 夸 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Great.
大 gives the meaning and 亏 hints at the sound.
Radical: 大 (big), shared by 46 characters on this site.
How to remember 夸
夸 puts 大 (dà, big) on top of 亏 (kuī), which gives the sound. Picture someone making everything sound big: that is boasting or exaggerating.
夸 (kuā) is common as a verb meaning to praise someone, and in words like 夸张 (kuāzhāng, exaggerated) and 夸大 (kuādà, to overstate). Example: 老师夸他很聪明。 (Lǎoshī kuā tā hěn cōngmíng.) The teacher praised him for being smart.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 夸 (kuā) with 亏 (kuī), which means loss or deficiency. The two share the bottom part but have different meanings and vowels. Also check the top part: it is 大, not 太.
Common words with 夸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 夸张 | kuāzhāng | to exaggerate; overstated; exaggerated | HSK 7-9 |
| 夸奖 | kuājiǎng | to praise; to applaud | HSK 7-9 |
| 夸大 | kuādà | to exaggerate | HSK 7-9 |
| 夸夸其谈 | kuākuā-qítán | (idiom) to talk big; to sound off; to be full of hot air | HSK 7-9 |
| 夸耀 | kuāyào | to brag about; to flaunt | HSK 7-9 |
| 自夸 | zìkuā | to boast | |
| 夸大其词 | kuādàqící | to exaggerate |
夸 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 夸
Learning 夸 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 夸
How many strokes are in 夸?
夸 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 夸 mean?
夸 (kuā) means to boast; to exaggerate; to praise. A common word with it is 夸张 (kuāzhāng), meaning "to exaggerate; overstated; exaggerated".
How do you pronounce 夸?
夸 is pronounced kuā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 夸?
The radical of 夸 is 大, which carries the idea of "big". Dictionaries list 夸 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 夸?
The traditional form of 夸 is 誇. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 夸 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 夸 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 夸 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 夸 mean praise or boast?
Both. 夸 + a person usually means to praise them, as in 夸奖 (kuājiǎng). 自夸 (zìkuā) or 夸耀 (kuāyào) means to boast about yourself or show off.
Is 夸张 a positive or negative word?
It is usually mildly negative or neutral, meaning over the top or exaggerated. In casual speech, people say 太夸张了 (tài kuāzhāng le) when something seems unbelievable or too much.