How to Write 欿 (kǎn) — Meaning “discontented; dissatisfied”

Imagine a person (欠) who is so discontented that they sigh deeply while trapped in a well (臽). The visual of someone in a pit sighing reinforces the sense of dissatisfaction or humble regret.

The left component 臽 has nine strokes and must be written narrower, with the top '勹' covering the lower '臼'. The right side 欠 has three strokes: first a short left-falling stroke, then a horizontal hook, and finally a right-falling stroke that extends slightly below the left side.

Both 欿 and 欲 share the 欠 radical, but 欲 uses 谷 (valley) on the left and means 'desire' or 'wish'. In contrast, 欿 uses 臽 and expresses discontent or humble dissatisfaction, not strong desire.

欿 is quite rare and appears mostly in literary or classical contexts, such as in the word 欿然 (kǎn rán) meaning 'humble' or 'dissatisfied'. It is not part of everyday speech, so learners may encounter it only in older texts or formal writing about personal feelings.

Common words containing 欿 include: 欿然 (kǎn rán) — dissatisfied; humble; 欿憾 (kǎn hàn) — regret; dissatisfaction; 欿欿 (kǎn kǎn) — humble; self-deprecating.