懦 meaning and stroke order
Weak, timid, cowardly
How to write 懦, stroke by stroke
17 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 懦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) cowardly; faint-hearted
How 懦 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
忄 gives the meaning and 需 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 懦
懦 combines the heart radical 忄 with 需 (xū, to need). Picture a heart that always needs someone else to be brave for it. That is a timid, cowardly heart.
懦 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words like 懦弱 (nuòruò) and 懦夫 (nuòfū). It carries a negative judgment about someone's lack of courage. Example: 他太懦弱了，不敢说真话。(Tā tài nuòruò le, bù gǎn shuō zhēnhuà.) He is too weak to tell the truth.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 懦 with 儒 (rú, Confucian scholar) and 糯 (nuò, glutinous), which share the 需 part. Check the radical: 忄 heart for timid, 亻 person for scholar, 米 rice for sticky rice.
Common words with 懦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 懦夫 | nuòfū | coward | |
| 懦弱 | nuòruò | cowardly; weak | |
| 怯懦 | qiènuò | timid; cowardly; chicken-hearted |
懦 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 懦
How many strokes are in 懦?
懦 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 懦 mean?
懦 (nuò) means weak, timid, cowardly. A common word with it is 懦夫 (nuòfū), meaning "coward".
How do you pronounce 懦?
懦 is pronounced nuò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 懦?
The radical of 懦 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 懦 under this radical.
Can I use 懦 by itself to say someone is cowardly?
No. 懦 does not stand alone in modern Chinese. Use a word like 懦弱 or 胆小 (dǎnxiǎo) instead, for example 他很懦弱 (tā hěn nuòruò).
What is the difference between 懦弱 and 胆小?
胆小 (dǎnxiǎo) is everyday and mild. It can describe a child afraid of the dark. 懦弱 is stronger and more critical, suggesting weakness of character or failing to stand up for oneself.