How to Write 揭 (jiē) — Meaning “to uncover; to reveal”

Imagine your hand (扌) lifting a lid off a jar. The right side 曷 looks like a lid with a handle on top — when you pull it up, you reveal what is inside. So 揭 = hand + lifting a lid = to uncover.

Pay attention to the right side 曷: the top part is 日 (sun) not 曰 (say), and the bottom is 勹 (wrap) with a hook stroke, not a simple box. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or forgetting the hook in the 勹 component.

All three share the hand radical, but 揭 means "to uncover or reveal" (e.g., 揭开 to open), while 挨 (āi) means "to suffer or lean on" (e.g., 挨打 to get hit), and 挫 (cuò) means "to defeat or frustrate" (e.g., 挫折 setback). Visually, 揭 has 曷 on the right, 挨 has 矣, and 挫 has 坐.

揭 is common in formal and news contexts, such as 揭晓 for announcing results (like contest winners) and 揭穿 for exposing a lie or fraud. You also see it in 揭开 to literally open a lid or figuratively uncover a secret. It carries a sense of making something hidden become known.

Common words containing 揭 include: 揭开 (jiē kāi) — to uncover; to open; 揭晓 (jiē xiǎo) — to announce; to make known; 揭穿 (jiē chuān) — to expose; to unmask.