How to Write 刮 (guā) — Meaning “To scrape / To shave / To blow (wind).”

Imagine your tongue (舌) is sticking out, and you use a knife (刂) to scrape something off it — that's the scraping action of 刮. For the wind meaning, picture the wind blowing so hard it scrapes your skin, like a knife.

Write the left component 舌 first: start with a short left-falling stroke, then horizontal, vertical, vertical, horizontal fold, and a horizontal line — making sure the top part (千) is not too wide. Then add the right-side 刂 as two strokes: a vertical hook and a short vertical line, keeping the right side slightly narrower than the left to maintain balance.

The key difference is the left part: 刮 uses 舌 (tongue), while 刎 uses 勿 (a negation character) and 刑 uses 开 (open). In meaning, 刮 means to scrape or shave (or wind blowing), 刎 means to cut the throat, and 刑 means punishment or penalty. Visually, 刮 has a compact left side, 刎 has a larger 勿, and 刑 has a symmetrical 开.

You often hear 刮风 (guā fēng) in weather forecasts to say "it's windy" or "the wind is blowing." 刮胡子 (guā hú zi) means "to shave a beard" and is a common daily activity for many men. 刮刮卡 (guā guā kǎ) refers to scratch cards used in games or lotteries, where you scrape off a coating to reveal a prize.

Common words containing 刮 include: 刮风 (guā fēng) — To be windy.; 刮胡子 (guā hú zi) — To shave.; 刮刮卡 (guā guā kǎ) — Scratch card..