How to Write 欻 (chuā) — Meaning “whoosh; suddenly”

Imagine a fire (火) suddenly whooshing out of a person's mouth (欠) with a loud "chuā" sound. The image of fire bursting from someone's mouth helps link the left and right parts to the character's meaning of a sudden whoosh. This visual link makes the character easier to recall.

Write the left component 火 first: dot, left-falling, another left-falling, then right-falling (4 strokes). Then write the right component 欠: left-falling, horizontal-left-falling, left-falling, right-falling (4 strokes, total 12). A common mistake is making the left 火 too wide, which throws off the balance; keep it narrow and compact.

欻 has 火 (fire) on the left, while 欮 has 屰 (an inverted person) and 欲 has 谷 (valley). Visually, 欻's left part is clearly four strokes forming "fire", whereas the other characters have completely different left components. Meaning-wise, 欻 is about sudden whooshing sounds, 欮 means "to dig", and 欲 means "desire".

欻 is an onomatopoeic word used for sudden whooshing or rustling sounds, like wind, fire, or rapid movement. It appears in phrases such as 欻的一声 (with a whoosh) and in the adverb 欻然 (suddenly). It is mostly used in colloquial or literary descriptions, not in formal writing, and gives a vivid, energetic feel to the action.

Common words containing 欻 include: 欻的一声 (chuā de yī shēng) — with a whoosh; 欻然 (chuā rán) — suddenly; abruptly; 欻欻 (chuā chuā) — the sound of rustling or rapid movement.