騷 meaning and stroke order
To annoy, to bother; to disturb, to harrass
How to write 騷, stroke by stroke
19 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 騷
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) to disturb; to disrupt
- flirty; coquettish
- abbr. for 離騷|离骚[Li2 Sao1]
- (literary) literary writings; poetry
- foul-smelling (variant of 臊[sao1])
- (dialect) (of certain domestic animals) male
How 騷 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A flea 蚤 biting a horse 馬; 蚤 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 馬 (horse), shared by 47 characters on this site.
How to remember 騷
A flea 蚤 (zǎo) biting a horse 馬 (mǎ) makes the horse restless and stirred up. That itchy, bothered horse is 騷 (sāo), to disturb, and 蚤 also hints at the sound.
騷 (sāo) rarely stands alone in its 'disturb' sense. It appears in words like 騷擾 (sāorǎo, to harass), 騷亂 (sāoluàn, riot) and 牢騷 (láosāo, complaints). Example: 他總是發牢騷。(Tā zǒngshì fā láosāo.) He is always complaining.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 騷 (sāo) with 臊 (sāo/sào), which has the meat radical 月 and means foul-smelling or shy. Also do not mix up 蚤 (zǎo, flea) on the right with similar shapes like 虽; the pronunciation of 騷 is sāo, not zǎo.
Common words with 騷
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 騷擾 | sāorǎo | to disturb; to cause a commotion | HSK 7-9 |
| 騷亂 | sāoluàn | disturbance; riot; to create a disturbance | HSK 7-9 |
| 性騷擾 | xìngsāorǎo | sexual harassment | |
| 騷動 | sāodòng | disturbance; uproar; to become restless | |
| 騷貨 | sāohuò | loose woman; slut | |
| 發牢騷 | fāláosāo | to whine; to be grouchy | |
| 牢騷 | láosāo | discontent; complaint | |
| 風騷 | fēngsāo | literary excellence; flirtatious behavior |
Questions about 騷
How many strokes are in 騷?
騷 is written with 19 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 騷 mean?
騷 (sāo) means to annoy, to bother; to disturb, to harrass. A common word with it is 骚扰 (sāorǎo), meaning "to disturb; to cause a commotion".
How do you pronounce 騷?
騷 is pronounced sāo, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 騷?
The radical of 騷 is 馬, which carries the idea of "horse". Dictionaries list 騷 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 騷?
騷 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 骚, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 騷 rude when describing a person?
It can be. Used alone or in 騷貨 (sāohuò), it calls someone flirty or promiscuous and is insulting. In casual online slang, 騷 can also jokingly mean flashy or showy, but be careful with it.
Why does 騷 relate to poetry?
騷 is short for 離騷 (Lí Sāo), a famous classical poem by Qu Yuan. Because of this, 騷 in literary language can mean poetry or literary writing, as in 風騷 (fēngsāo), literary excellence.