颊 meaning and stroke order
Cheeks, jaw
How to write 颊, stroke by stroke
12 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 颊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- cheeks
How 颊 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. The jaw in 夹 the head 页; 夹 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 页 (page), shared by 39 characters on this site.
How to remember 颊
The left part 夹 (jiā) means to squeeze or hold between two sides, and 页 is the head. Picture your two cheeks holding your face from both sides of the head, and 夹 also hints at the sound jiá.
颊 is rarely used alone in modern Chinese. It usually appears in the words 脸颊 (liǎnjiá) or 面颊 (miànjiá), both meaning cheek, often in descriptive or written language. Example: 她的脸颊红了。(Tā de liǎnjiá hóng le.) Her cheeks turned red.
Common mistake: Learners often read 颊 with the first tone like 夹 (jiā), but 颊 is second tone, jiá. Also do not confuse it with 侠 (xiá, hero) or 峡 (xiá, gorge), which share the 夹 part but have different meanings and sounds.
Common words with 颊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
颊 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 颊
How many strokes are in 颊?
颊 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 颊 mean?
颊 (jiá) means cheeks, jaw. A common word with it is 脸颊 (liǎnjiá), meaning "cheek".
How do you pronounce 颊?
颊 is pronounced jiá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 颊?
The radical of 颊 is 页, which carries the idea of "page". Dictionaries list 颊 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 颊?
The traditional form of 颊 is 頰. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 颊 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 颊 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 颊 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 脸颊 and 面颊?
They mean the same thing, cheek. 脸颊 (liǎnjiá) is more common in everyday speech, while 面颊 (miànjiá) sounds a bit more formal or literary.
How do I say cheek in casual spoken Chinese?
Many speakers simply say 脸 (liǎn), face, or 脸蛋 (liǎndàn), especially for a child's round cheeks. 脸颊 is fine too, but it sounds slightly more descriptive.