骚 meaning and stroke order
To annoy, to bother; to disturb, to harrass
How to write 骚, 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 骚
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 骚 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A flea 蚤 biting a horse 马; 蚤 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 马 (horse), shared by 54 characters on this site.
How to remember 骚
Picture a flea 蚤 (zǎo) biting a horse 马 (mǎ). The horse gets restless and stirred up, which is the core idea of 骚 (sāo): to disturb or bother.
骚 mostly appears in compounds like 骚扰 (sāorǎo, to harass), 骚乱 (sāoluàn, riot) and 牢骚 (láosāo, complaint). On its own it can mean flirty or coquettish, which is often rude, so use it with care. Example: 他总是发牢骚。(Tā zǒngshì fā láosāo.) He is always complaining.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 骚 with 蚤 (zǎo, flea) or with 搔 (sāo, to scratch), which shares the same sound part but uses the hand radical 扌. Also note that 蚤 is pronounced zǎo, but 骚 is first tone sāo.
Common words with 骚
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 骚扰 | sāorǎo | to disturb; to cause a commotion | HSK 7-9 |
| 骚乱 | sāoluàn | disturbance; riot; to create a disturbance | HSK 7-9 |
| 性骚扰 | xìngsāorǎo | sexual harassment | |
| 骚动 | sāodòng | disturbance; uproar; to become restless | |
| 骚货 | sāohuò | loose woman; slut | |
| 发牢骚 | fāláosāo | to whine; to be grouchy | |
| 牢骚 | láosāo | discontent; complaint | |
| 风骚 | fēngsāo | literary excellence; flirtatious behavior |
骚 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 骚
How many strokes are in 骚?
骚 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 骚 mean?
骚 (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 骚?
骚 is pronounced sāo, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 骚?
The radical of 骚 is 马, which carries the idea of "horse". Dictionaries list 骚 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 骚?
The traditional form of 骚 is 騷. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 骚 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 骚 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 骚 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 骚 an offensive word in Chinese?
It can be. Used alone to describe a person, or in words like 骚货 (sāohuò), it is vulgar and insulting. In neutral compounds like 骚扰 or 骚动 it is perfectly normal.
Why does 风骚 (fēngsāo) mean both literary excellence and flirtatious?
骚 is short for 离骚 (Lí Sāo), a famous classical poem, so 风骚 once referred to fine poetry. In modern speech it more often describes showy or flirtatious behavior.