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媸 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
媸chīugly; an ugly womang, 13 strokes, radical 女
媸chīugly womanunknown, 13 strokes, radical 女
chī(chi1) T1
  1. 1ugly; an ugly woman
  2. 2ugly woman
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

媸chī(chi1)

The character 媸 (chī) is used to describe someone as ugly, particularly referring to an ugly woman. It carries a negative connotation and is often employed in informal contexts, such as casual conversations or derogatory remarks about someone's appearance.

Strokes13Radical女
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, physical appearance can heavily influence social interactions, and the term 媸 reflects societal standards of beauty. The use of such terms can be seen as a reflection of deeper cultural values regarding femininity and appearance.

Memory Tip

Think of 媸 (chī) as a combination of the radical 女 (nǚ) meaning 'woman' and the phonetic component that sounds like 'chī.' Imagine an unattractive woman with a frown, emphasizing the 'ugly' aspect of this character. Picture her holding a sign that says 'chī' to remember that it refers to an ugly woman.

Meanings of 媸

chī(chi1)
1ugly; an ugly woman
2ugly woman
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 媸

媸Simplified
13Strokes
女Radical
语素morpheme (morph.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 媸

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Podcast: 媸

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AI Study Notes for 媸

Usage Notes

This word is quite informal and can be offensive, so it should be used with caution. Common mistakes include using it as a general term for unattractiveness, whereas it specifically refers to women. Be aware of the tone; using it lightly can still convey strong negativity.

HSK Study Tips

While 媸 is not included in the HSK vocabulary lists, it can help learners understand how adjectives can be formed and used in a derogatory manner. Focus on the structure of descriptive words and their emotional impact on conversations.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 媸 (chī) with similar sounding words that describe general unattractiveness. For instance, using 媸 to describe a man or using it in a compliment context is incorrect; instead, use 不好看 (bù hǎo kàn) for a neutral term.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 媸

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Etymology of 媸

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

woman

Semantic (meaning)女
+
Phonetic (sound)蚩
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 媸

  1. 1The meaning half女 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half蚩 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaywoman
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 媸? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 媸?

Decomposition of 媸

IDS Structure⿰女蚩
媸Full Character
=
女nü3
left
蚩Chi1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 媸?

How to say ugly; an ugly woman in Chinese

“ugly; an ugly woman” in Chinese is媸chī

The character 媸 (chī) is used to describe someone as ugly, particularly referring to an ugly woman. It carries a negative connotation and is often employed in informal contexts, such as casual conversations or derogatory remarks about someone's appearance.

When to use 媸

This word is quite informal and can be offensive, so it should be used with caution. Common mistakes include using it as a general term for unattractiveness, whereas it specifically refers to women. Be aware of the tone; using it lightly can still convey strong negativity.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 媸 (chī) with similar sounding words that describe general unattractiveness. For instance, using 媸 to describe a man or using it in a compliment context is incorrect; instead, use 不好看 (bù hǎo kàn) for a neutral term.

Write 媸

媸

Practice writing 媸 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 媸

Words Containing This Character1
媸chīugly woman
Exercise 1 of 1

Compound Meaning

What does 媸 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 媸

Yes, 媸 is always used in a negative context to describe someone as ugly.

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