How to Write 谔 (è) — Meaning “to speak frankly”

Think of a person who speaks honestly (讠) and is so bold that everyone says "Eh? (咢)" in surprise. The right side 咢 looks like two mouths (口) on top of a cross, representing the double impact of frank speech.

A common mistake is mixing up the right side 咢 with the similar-looking 鄂 (a place name). Pay attention to the stroke order: the radical 讠 is written first (dot, then horizontal fold), then the top part of 咢 with two 口 shapes, followed by the bottom 丂 stroke.

谔 (è) means speaking boldly and honestly, 诫 (jiè) means to warn or admonish (with radical 讠 and 戒), and 诬 (wū) means to falsely accuse (with radical 讠 and 巫). Visually, 谔 has the right part 咢, while 诫 has 戒 and 诬 has 巫.

谔 is not a common character in daily speech; it appears mainly in classical idioms such as 谔谔之士 (a frank and fearless person) or 蹇谔 (outspoken and upright). You might see it in written praise for someone who dares to speak the truth, especially in historical or formal contexts.

Common words containing 谔 include: 谔谔 (è è) — speaking out boldly; 蹇谔 (jiǎn è) — Outspoken and upright; 谔谔之士 (è è zhī shì) — a person who speaks frankly and fearlessly.