How to Write 倦 (juàn) — Meaning “tired / weary”

Picture a person (亻) who is so exhausted they roll themselves into a scroll (卷) like a tired cat. This image of a curled-up person helps link the shape to the meaning "tired."

Start by writing the left radical 亻 (vertical stroke then left-falling stroke). Then write the right side 卷: first a dot and left-falling stroke, then a horizontal stroke, left-falling, then a curved stroke (㇆), and finally the bottom part which looks like 巳 (sì) but without the top horizontal. Common mistake is confusing the bottom with 己 or 已.

倦 means "tired" and has the person radical 亻. 俎 (zǔ) means "chopping board" and contains 人 (person) on top of 且 but is not related to tiredness. 俞 (yú) is a surname or expresses approval; its top part is 亻+月+刂, visually very different from 倦's 卷 component.

倦 is used in formal or written Chinese to describe fatigue, especially in compound words like 疲倦 (píjuàn, weary) and 厌倦 (yànjuàn, tired of something). A common cultural expression is 孜孜不倦 (zīzī bù juàn), meaning "diligent and tireless," which praises hard work.

Common words containing 倦 include: 疲倦 (pí juàn) — weary; 困倦 (kùn juàn) — Weary / Drowsy; 厌倦 (yàn juàn) — to be weary of; to be tired of.