瘸 meaning and stroke order
Lameness; paralysis of the hands or legs
How to write 瘸, stroke by stroke
16 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 瘸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- lame
How 瘸 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sickness.
疒 gives the meaning and 加 hints at the sound.
Radical: 疒 (sickness), shared by 127 characters on this site.
How to remember 瘸
瘸 (qué) sits under the sickness radical 疒, which marks illness or injury. Inside is 加 (jiā) stacked on 肉 (ròu, flesh), so picture a sickness that has settled into the flesh of the leg, making someone walk with a limp.
瘸 (qué) describes limping or being lame in the leg, usually as a verb or adjective in spoken Chinese. It often appears as 瘸了 or in 瘸腿 (quétuǐ). Example: 他的腿摔瘸了。(Tā de tuǐ shuāi qué le.) He hurt his leg in a fall and now limps.
Common mistake: Learners often read 瘸 as jiā because of the phonetic 加, but the correct reading is qué with a second tone. Also note that 瘸子 (quézi) is rude when used to label a person, so avoid it in polite speech.
Common words with 瘸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 瘸子 | quézi | lame person (colloquial) | |
| 瘸腿 | quétuǐ | crippled; lame |
Questions about 瘸
How many strokes are in 瘸?
瘸 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 瘸 mean?
瘸 (qué) means lameness; paralysis of the hands or legs. A common word with it is 瘸子 (quézi), meaning "lame person (colloquial)".
How do you pronounce 瘸?
瘸 is pronounced qué, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 瘸?
The radical of 瘸 is 疒, which carries the idea of "sickness". Dictionaries list 瘸 under this radical.
What is a polite way to say someone is lame or disabled in Chinese?
Instead of 瘸子 (quézi), use 腿脚不方便 (tuǐjiǎo bù fāngbiàn, has trouble walking) in conversation. In formal contexts, 残疾人 (cánjírén, person with a disability) is the standard term.
How is 瘸 different from 跛 (bǒ)?
Both mean lame or limping. 瘸 (qué) is more common in everyday spoken Mandarin, while 跛 (bǒ) sounds more written or formal, as in 跛足 (bǒzú).