琐 meaning and stroke order
Petty; trifling; troublesome
How to write 琐, stroke by stroke
11 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
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- 11
Meaning of 琐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- fragmentary
- trifling
How 琐 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Jade.
王 gives the meaning and ⺌ hints at the sound.
Radical: 王 (king), shared by 104 characters on this site.
How to remember 琐
The left side 王 is the jade radical, and the right side shows small bits ⺌ above shells 贝. Picture tiny chips of jade and little shells scattered on a table: lots of small, trifling pieces, which is 琐 (suǒ), petty and fragmentary.
琐 rarely stands alone. It appears in words like 琐事 (suǒshì, trifles), 琐碎 (suǒsuì, trivial) and 繁琐 (fánsuǒ, tedious and overly complicated). Example: 每天都有很多琐事要做。 (Měitiān dōu yǒu hěn duō suǒshì yào zuò.) There are lots of little chores to do every day.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 琐 (suǒ) with 锁 (suǒ, lock), which has the same sound and the same right side but uses the metal radical 钅. If the meaning is petty or trivial, use 王; if it is a lock, use 钅.
Common words with 琐
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
琐 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 琐
How many strokes are in 琐?
琐 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 琐 mean?
琐 (suǒ) means petty; trifling; troublesome. A common word with it is 琐事 (suǒshì), meaning "trifle".
How do you pronounce 琐?
琐 is pronounced suǒ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 琐?
The radical of 琐 is 王, which carries the idea of "king". Dictionaries list 琐 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 琐?
The traditional form of 琐 is 瑣. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 琐 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 猥琐 an insult?
Yes. 猥琐 (wěisuǒ) describes someone who looks or acts sleazy, shifty or creepy. It is quite negative, so avoid using it about people you want to stay on good terms with.
What is the difference between 琐碎 and 繁琐?
琐碎 (suǒsuì) stresses that things are small and scattered, like minor details. 繁琐 (fánsuǒ) stresses that a process is tedious and has too many steps, as in 手续很繁琐 (shǒuxù hěn fánsuǒ), the procedures are a hassle.