How to Write 挨 (āi/ái) — Meaning “suffer; be next to”

Imagine someone's hand (扌) reaching out to touch another person who says "I" (ài sounds like "eye" but here think of 矣). The hand gets too close, so the person suffers — linking the two meanings "be next to" and "suffer" in one picture.

Write the left radical 扌 first: horizontal, vertical hook, lift. Then the right side 矣: start with the top 厶 (stroke order: 撇折, 点), then below 矢 (撇, 横, 横, 撇, 捺). A common mistake is making the right side too wide; keep it balanced and slightly narrower than the left.

㧜 is a rare character with the same left radical but a different right part; it is not commonly used. 抨 (pēng) has the right part 平 (píng) and means "to criticize" or "to impeach," not related to proximity or suffering. So remember 挨's right side is 矣, and its meanings are "be next to" or "suffer."

挨 has two pronunciations: āi for "be next to" (e.g., 挨近) or "in turn" (e.g., 挨个), and ái for "suffer" (e.g., 挨打 meaning "get beaten"). In daily life, 挨 is common when describing physical proximity or enduring hardship, and the phrase 挨打 appears in idioms about punishment.

Common words containing 挨 include: 挨近 (āi jìn) — to get close to; to be near; 挨个 (āi gè) — one by one; in turn; 挨打 (ái dǎ) — get a beating.