狡 meaning and stroke order
Cunning, deceitful, treacherous
How to write 狡, stroke by stroke
9 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 狡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- crafty
- cunning
- sly
How 狡 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Dog.
犭 gives the meaning and 交 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犭 (dog), shared by 88 characters on this site.
How to remember 狡
狡 combines the animal radical 犭 (from dog) with 交 (jiāo), which gives the sound. Picture a sly animal, like a fox, that twists its path to trick you; that animal side means cunning.
狡 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It almost always appears in words like 狡猾 (jiǎohuá, sly) and 狡辩 (jiǎobiàn, to make dishonest excuses). Example: 狐狸很狡猾。(Húli hěn jiǎohuá.) The fox is very cunning.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 狡 (jiǎo) with 较 (jiào, compare) or 饺 (jiǎo, dumpling), since all share 交. Check the left side: 犭 for cunning, 车 for compare, 饣 for food.
Common words with 狡
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 狡猾 | jiǎohuá | crafty; cunning; sly | HSK 7-9 |
| 狡辩 | jiǎobiàn | to deflect blame from oneself with a dishonest story; to make excuses | |
| 狡诈 | jiǎozhà | crafty; cunning |
狡 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 狡
How many strokes are in 狡?
狡 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 狡 mean?
狡 (jiǎo) means cunning, deceitful, treacherous. A common word with it is 狡猾 (jiǎohuá), meaning "crafty; cunning; sly".
How do you pronounce 狡?
狡 is pronounced jiǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 狡?
The radical of 狡 is 犭, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 狡 under this radical.
Is 狡 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 狡 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 狡 a positive or negative word?
It is negative. 狡猾 and 狡诈 describe someone sneaky or untrustworthy. To praise someone as clever, use 聪明 (cōngming) instead.
What is the difference between 狡猾 and 狡辩?
狡猾 is an adjective meaning sly or crafty. 狡辩 is a verb meaning to argue dishonestly to avoid blame, as in 别狡辩了 (bié jiǎobiàn le), stop making excuses.