Meaning of 丑
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- shameful
- ugly
- disgraceful
- clown
- 2nd earthly branch: 1-3 a.m., 12th solar month (6th January to 3rd February), year of the Ox
- ancient Chinese compass point: 30°
- surname Chou
How to use 丑
As an adjective, 丑 means ugly or unattractive, and in compounds it also means shameful, as in 丑闻 (chǒuwén) scandal. Example: 这件衣服太丑了。(Zhè jiàn yīfu tài chǒu le.) This piece of clothing is too ugly.
丑 (chǒu) looks like a twisted hand with bent fingers, an awkward, ugly shape. Picture a clown making a silly, crooked gesture: 小丑 (xiǎochǒu) is a clown, and 丑 means ugly.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 丑 (chǒu) with 五 (wǔ, five) or 王 (wáng). In 丑 the left vertical stroke bends and the middle horizontal stroke does not reach the left side. Also keep the third tone. Do not say chōu, which is 抽 (to pull out or smoke).
丑 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
丑 chǒu · shameful · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 丑.
Questions about 丑
What does 丑 mean?
丑 (chǒu) means "shameful; ugly" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 丑?
丑 is made of 1 character: 丑 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 丑 an HSK word?
Yes. 丑 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 丑 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 丑 is written 醜.
Is it rude to call someone 丑 in Chinese?
Yes, saying someone is 丑 directly is quite harsh. People often soften it with 不太好看 (bú tài hǎokàn, not very good-looking). 丑八怪 (chǒubāguài) is even stronger and can be insulting, though friends sometimes use it jokingly.
What does 丑 have to do with the Ox in the Chinese zodiac?
丑 is the second of the twelve earthly branches, and that branch is paired with the Ox. It also marks the time from 1 to 3 a.m., so 丑时 (chǒushí) means that two-hour period in the traditional time system.