How to Write 噱 (jué/xué) — Meaning “To laugh / Gimmick”

Imagine a performer (豦) opening his mouth (口) wide to tell a joke that makes everyone laugh — that's the gimmick or stunt. The big mouth helps you recall the meaning of 'to laugh' or 'gimmick'.

The left part 口 is small and sits high, while the right part 豦 is complex with 11 strokes. Be careful to write the right side with the seven-stroke 豕 (pig) at the bottom, not mixing it up with 豕 or 豖. The overall balance is top-heavy on the right side.

噱 (jué) means 'to laugh' or 'gimmick' and uses the mouth radical, while 嗽 (sòu) means 'to cough' and also uses 口 but a different phonetic (欶). Visually, 噱 has 豦 on the right, whereas 嗽 has 欶 — the right side of 嗽 is more compact and includes the component 欠 (to blow). The other similar character 㕡 is rarely used and often a variant or ancient form, so focus on distinguishing 噱 from 嗽.

噱 is most common in the word 噱头 (xué tou), meaning a gimmick or stunt to attract attention, often in marketing or entertainment. For example, a movie might use a flashy 噱头 to draw audiences. It also appears in 发噱 (fā jué), meaning 'funny' or 'amusing', and in the phrase 噱而不俗 (jué ér bù sú) to describe humor that is clever but not vulgar.

Common words containing 噱 include: 噱头 (xué tou) — Gimmick / Stunt / Trick; 发噱 (fā jué) — Funny; amusing; 噱而不俗 (jué ér bù sú) — Funny but not vulgar.