How to Write 丑 (chǒu) — Meaning “ugly; clown; the second Earthly Branch (Ox)”

Imagine a clown with a big red nose—the top horizontal stroke (一) is the nose, and the strokes below form a silly face. Since 丑 can mean "clown," this visual helps connect the shape to its meaning. Think of the character as a simple drawing of a funny face.

Start with the horizontal fold (横折) as the first stroke, drawing a short horizontal line that turns down. Then write the vertical stroke (竖) going down from the fold, followed by a short horizontal stroke (横) in the middle, and finally a long horizontal stroke (横) at the bottom. Common mistakes include making the bottom stroke too short or forgetting the fold at the top.

丑 has a hooked top stroke (横折) and a total of four strokes, while 丁 is just two strokes (a horizontal and a vertical hook) meaning "nail" or "male adult." 丂 has three strokes (a horizontal, a vertical hook, and a curved stroke) and is rarely used today. Visually, 丑 looks more balanced and wider at the bottom than the other two.

丑 commonly appears in words like 小丑 (xiǎo chǒu) meaning "clown" and 丑八怪 (chǒu bā guài) meaning "very ugly person" or "monster." It is also the second Earthly Branch in the Chinese zodiac, representing the Ox, and appears in traditional timekeeping for the hour 1:00–3:00 AM. In daily use, be careful—calling someone 丑 can be very rude.

Common words containing 丑 include: 丑 (chǒu) — ugly; clown; the second Earthly Branch (Ox); 小丑 (xiǎo chǒu) — clown; 丑八怪 (chǒu bā guài) — monster; very ugly person.