醜 meaning and stroke order
Ugly; shameful; comedian, clown
How to write 醜, 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 醜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- shameful
- ugly
- disgraceful
How 醜 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Demon.
鬼 gives the meaning and 酉 hints at the sound.
Radical: 酉 (wine), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 醜
醜 puts 鬼 (guǐ, ghost or demon) next to 酉 (yǒu), which gives the sound. Picture a demon face beside a wine jar: a sight so ugly it is shameful.
醜 is the traditional form. In simplified Chinese the meaning ugly is written 丑, so words like 丑陋 (chǒulòu, ugly) and 丑闻 (chǒuwén, scandal) appear with 丑 in mainland texts. Example: 他在聚会上出醜了。(Tā zài jùhuì shang chū chǒu le.) He made a fool of himself at the party.
Common mistake: Learners often read 醜 as guǐ because of the 鬼 part, but it is chǒu, third tone. Also do not confuse 醜 with 魂 (hún, soul), which puts 鬼 on the right side next to 云 instead of 酉.
Common words with 醜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 醜
How many strokes are in 醜?
醜 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 醜 mean?
醜 (chǒu) means ugly; shameful; comedian, clown. A common word with it is 丑陋 (chǒulòu), meaning "ugly".
How do you pronounce 醜?
醜 is pronounced chǒu, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 醜?
The radical of 醜 is 酉, which carries the idea of "wine". Dictionaries list 醜 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 醜?
醜 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 丑, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 醜 the same character as the zodiac 丑 (Ox)?
No. In traditional writing the earthly branch 丑 (the Ox year) was always a separate character from 醜 (ugly). Simplified Chinese merged them into 丑, so do not write 醜 for the zodiac sign.
How do you say someone is not good looking without being rude?
Calling a person 醜 or 丑八怪 (chǒubāguài) is blunt and hurtful. People often soften it with 不太好看 (bú tài hǎokàn, not very good looking) or 长得一般 (zhǎng de yìbān, average looking).