嫖 meaning and stroke order
To patronize a prostitute; to frequent
How to write 嫖, stroke by stroke
14 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 嫖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to visit a prostitute
How 嫖 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 票 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 嫖
嫖 combines 女 (woman), the meaning part, with 票 (piào), the sound part. Picture paying a ticket 票 to see a woman, and you have the meaning and nearly the sound.
嫖 almost always appears in compounds about visiting prostitutes, such as 嫖客 (piáokè) and 嫖妓 (piáojì). It is a blunt, negative word used in news, law, and serious talk, not in polite chat. Example: 他因为嫖娼被抓了。(Tā yīnwèi piáochāng bèi zhuā le.) He was arrested for soliciting prostitutes.
Common mistake: Learners often read 嫖 with the fourth tone of its phonetic 票 (piào), but 嫖 is second tone, piáo. Also do not confuse it with 飘 (piāo, to float) or 漂 (piāo/piǎo/piào), which share the 票 part but have different radicals.
Common words with 嫖
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 嫖客 | piáokè | patron of a brothel | |
| 嫖妓 | piáojì | to visit a prostitute |
嫖 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 嫖
How many strokes are in 嫖?
嫖 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 嫖 mean?
嫖 (piáo) means to patronize a prostitute; to frequent. A common word with it is 嫖客 (piáokè), meaning "patron of a brothel".
How do you pronounce 嫖?
嫖 is pronounced piáo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 嫖?
The radical of 嫖 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 嫖 under this radical.
Is 嫖 a rude or offensive word?
It is not a swear word, but it describes a stigmatized and illegal act in mainland China, so it sounds harsh. Use it only when you really mean that topic, for example in legal or news contexts.
What is the difference between 嫖客 and 嫖妓?
嫖客 (piáokè) is a noun meaning the customer of a prostitute. 嫖妓 (piáojì) is a verb phrase meaning the act of visiting a prostitute.