How to Write 啜 (chuài/chuò) — Meaning “To sip; to sob”

Imagine a person with a mouth (口) that keeps making small sounds or movements, like 'choo wee' — think of someone sipping hot tea with a tiny 'chuài' sound, or sobbing with little 'chuò' noises. The right side 叕 looks like four '又' (again) characters, reminding you of repeated actions.

Write the left radical 口 first as a narrow box with three strokes. Then on the right, write 叕: start with the top left 又, then top right 又, then bottom left 又, then bottom right 又 — each 又 is 2 strokes (横撇 and 捺). A common mistake is making the 口 too wide or misaligning the four 又 parts, which should be stacked evenly.

啜 (chuài/chuò) means to sip or sob, and its right side is 叕. 呲 (cī/zī) means to show teeth or criticize, with right side 此 (this). 咠 (qì) means to whisper or to talk, with right side 口 above and 耳 (ear) below — its shape is like a mouth whispering into an ear. Focus on the different right-side components to tell them apart.

啜 is not common in everyday conversation — it appears mostly in written or literary contexts. For example, 啜泣 (chuò qì, to sob quietly) is often used in novels to describe restrained weeping, while 啜饮 (chuài yǐn, to sip) appears in poetic descriptions of drinking tea or wine. It carries a refined, slightly classical tone.

Common words containing 啜 include: 啜泣 (chuò qì) — To sob; to weep; 啜饮 (chuài yǐn) — To sip; to drink slowly; 啜一口 (chuài yī kǒu) — To take a sip.