尢
contributes the sense of a bent or crippled leg · Kangxi radical 43
contributes the sense of a bent or crippled leg, hence lameness and awkward, hobbled movement
The old graph showed a standing person seen from the front, like 大, but with one leg drawn bent or shortened, so the figure leans off balance. The modern 尢 keeps exactly that: a straight top stroke for the outstretched arms, then two legs of which the right one hooks and the left is cut short, so the whole shape tilts. You can see the limp in 尴尬, literally a person who cannot walk straight, and in 尥, a horse kicking its hind leg backwards. Not every character written with this shape came from it: 尤 and 无 arrived at the form by later simplification of quite different pictures.
尢 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes the sense of a bent or crippled leg
- Strokes
- 3
- Characters
- 7
- Role
- Usually contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 43
Characters with 尢 (5 of 7)
HSK 4 · 1
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 尢 mean?
尢 means "contributes the sense of a bent or crippled leg". In the characters that contain it, it usually contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 尢?
7 characters in this dictionary contain 尢, including ones at HSK 4, HSK 6.
Is 尢 a radical?
Yes — 尢 is Kangxi radical 43, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 尢 have?
尢 is written in 3 strokes.