How to Write 冏 (jiǒng) — Meaning “Bright / embarrassed”

Imagine a person's face inside a square window: the top part is the eyebrows (like 八) and the bottom is an open mouth, showing an embarrassed expression. This matches both the shape and the meaning of feeling awkward. You can also think of it as "bright" because a window lets in light, but the face makes you remember "embarrassed."

First write the outer frame 冂 as a wide box, starting with the left vertical stroke, then the top and right. Inside, write the two short strokes (like 八) at the top and then the bottom square (口) — make sure the inner parts are centered and not too small. A common mistake is making the inner 口 too large so it touches the frame, or forgetting the two top strokes.

冉 (rǎn) does not have an outer enclosure — it is just a vertical stroke with two short horizontal dashes on the sides, meaning "gradually" or a surname. 冋 (jiōng) looks very similar to 冏 but has a simple 口 inside the enclosure instead of the 八 and 口 combination, and it means "remote" or "outskirts." So remember: 冏 has both the 八 (like eyebrows) and 口 (mouth) inside the frame.

Today, 冏 and its more common variant 囧 are widely used in internet slang to express embarrassment, awkwardness, or being speechless, often as an emoticon (like :S). In classical texts, it means "bright" or "luminous," but this usage is rare now. The character became popular online because its shape resembles an embarrassed facial expression, making it a fun and visual way to show emotion.

Common words containing 冏 include: 冏 (jiǒng) — Bright / embarrassed.