How to Write 狡 (jiǎo) — Meaning “Cunning; crafty”

Imagine a sneaky dog (犭) that crosses (交) paths with you by weaving in and out, trying to trick you. This picture of a dog moving in a crossed, tricky way helps you remember that 狡 means 'cunning' or 'crafty'.

Write the left radical 犭 first (three strokes: left-falling, curved hook, left-falling), then the right side 交 (six strokes: dot, horizontal, left-falling, dot, left-falling, right-falling). A common mistake is making the radical too wide or writing the top dot of 交 too far from the cross stroke — keep the whole character balanced by making the left part narrow and the right part wider.

The key visual difference is the right side: 狡 has 交 (cross), 状 has 犬 (dog), and 犹 has 尤 (especially). In meaning, 狡 is always negative (cunning), while 状 means 'shape' or 'state' and 犹 appears in words like 犹豫 (hesitate). Also, 状 is not related to 犭; it uses the radical 丬 (panel).

狡 appears mostly in negative words like 狡猾 (sly), 狡辩 (to quibble), and 狡诈 (cunning). A famous cultural reference is the idiom 狡兔三窟 (a cunning hare has three burrows), which describes someone who prepares multiple escape plans. The character strongly suggests dishonesty or clever trickery, so it is not a compliment.

Common words containing 狡 include: 狡猾 (jiǎo huá) — Cunning; sly; 狡辩 (jiǎo biàn) — to quibble; 狡诈 (jiǎo zhà) — cunning.