憔 meaning and stroke order
Worn-out, haggard, emaciated
How to write 憔, stroke by stroke
15 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 憔
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 憔悴[qiao2 cui4]
- old variant of 憔[qiao2]
- variant of 憔[qiao2]
How 憔 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
忄 gives the meaning and 焦 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 憔
憔 combines the heart radical 忄 with 焦 (jiāo), which means scorched or anxious. A heart that feels scorched by worry leaves a person looking worn-out and haggard.
憔 almost never appears alone. It is used in the word 憔悴 (qiáocuì), which describes someone who looks thin, pale, and exhausted from illness, stress, or grief. Example: 她最近很憔悴。(Tā zuìjìn hěn qiáocuì.) She has looked very haggard lately.
Common mistake: Learners often read 憔 as jiāo because of its phonetic part 焦, but the correct reading is qiáo with a second tone. Also, do not confuse it with 礁 (jiāo, reef) or 瞧 (qiáo, to look), which share the same right side but have different radicals.
Common words with 憔
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 憔悴 | qiáocuì | wan and sallow; thin and pallid |
憔 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 憔
How many strokes are in 憔?
憔 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 憔 mean?
憔 (qiáo) means worn-out, haggard, emaciated. A common word with it is 憔悴 (qiáocuì), meaning "wan and sallow; thin and pallid".
How do you pronounce 憔?
憔 is pronounced qiáo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 憔?
The radical of 憔 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 憔 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 憔?
The traditional form of 憔 is 癄 and 顦. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 憔 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Can 憔悴 describe things other than people?
Yes. In written or literary Chinese it can describe withered plants or a faded, run-down appearance, such as flowers wilting in autumn. In everyday speech it is mostly used for a person's face or overall look.
What is the difference between 憔悴 and 累?
累 (lèi) means tired and describes how you feel. 憔悴 describes how you look, especially a pale, thin face after a long period of stress, illness, or sorrow.