How to Write 瘩 (da/dā) — Meaning “lump or pimple”

Imagine that when you have a pimple on your skin (疒 for sickness), your skin "answers" (答) by forming a bump. So 瘩 is the bump that "answers" the illness.

Start with the radical 疒: dot, left-falling, dot, left-falling, then horizontal. Then write 答 from top to bottom: left-falling, horizontal, left-falling, dot, then the bottom part with left-falling and dot. A common mistake is making the 答 part too wide or uneven inside the radical—keep it balanced.

痘 (dòu) specifically refers to smallpox or acne pimples, often used in medical terms like 痘苗 (vaccine). 痛 (tòng) means pain or ache, not a physical bump. 瘩 (da) is almost always used in the word 疙瘩 to mean a lump, pimple, or even a mental hang-up.

瘩 rarely appears alone; it is mainly used in the common word 疙瘩 (gē da), meaning a lump, knot, or pimple. The phrase 鸡皮疙瘩 (jī pí gē da) means goosebumps, often used when feeling cold or scared. In daily speech, 疙瘩 can also refer to a problem or worry, as in 心里有疙瘩 (to have a hang-up in one's heart).

Common words containing 瘩 include: 疙瘩 (gē da) — Lump; knot; pimple; hang-up; 鸡皮疙瘩 (jī pí gē da) — Goosebumps; 痘瘩 (dòu dā) — pimple; bump.