How to Write 姣 (jiāo) — Meaning “Beautiful; handsome”

Imagine a beautiful woman (女) standing at a crossroads (交), looking elegant and graceful. The cross shape of 交 reminds you of a meeting point, and the woman radical ties to beauty. This visual can help you recall the meaning of 'beautiful'.

Start with the left radical 女: write 撇点, 撇, 横 (three strokes). Then write the right part 交: first 点, then 横, 撇, 点, 撇, 捺 (six strokes). A common mistake is making the left side too wide or forgetting the second small stroke in the top of 交; keep both sides balanced.

姣 (jiāo) means 'beautiful' or 'handsome' and uses 交 as a phonetic component. 妊 (rèn) means 'pregnant' and combines 女 with 壬 (rén). 妍 (yán) means 'beautiful' too, but uses the phonetic 开 (qiān) and often refers to delicate, refined beauty. Visually, 姣 has a clear cross shape on the right, while 姁 and others have different right halves.

姣 is a literary or formal adjective, often seen in words like 姣好 (jiāo hǎo, beautiful) and 姣美 (jiāo měi, pretty). It is not common in everyday speech but appears in poetry, classical texts, or descriptions of elegant appearance. The character carries a refined, slightly old-fashioned tone, similar to 'fair' in English.

Common words containing 姣 include: 姣好 (jiāo hǎo) — Beautiful; good-looking; 姣美 (jiāo měi) — Beautiful; pretty; 姣小 (jiāo xiǎo) — Small and delicate.