How to Write 瞌 (kē) — Meaning “To doze”

Imagine a person whose eyes (目) are so heavy they keep nodding off, saying "K, K, K" (like kē) as they fall asleep. Picture the top part of 盍 as a yawning mouth and the bottom as a drooping head. This "K-sleep" sound can help you recall 瞌 means to doze.

Write the left radical 目 first, keeping it narrow and tall. The right part 盍 starts with a horizontal stroke at the top, then a vertical left-falling stroke, a horizontal in the middle, and finally the皿 (dish) shape at the bottom. A common mistake is making the 目 too wide or forgetting the middle horizontal stroke inside 盍.

睘 (qióng or xuān) means "to stare in surprise" or is a rare name; it has a completely different pronunciation and meaning. 睚 (yá) means "the corner of the eye" and appears in the word 睚眦 (yá zì, to glare angrily). Unlike them, 瞌 specifically refers to the action of dozing or nodding off, and it is the only one with the 盍 phonetic component.

瞌 appears mostly in the daily word 打瞌睡 (dǎ kē shuì, to nod off), for example after eating a big meal or during a boring meeting. 瞌睡虫 (kē shuì chóng) is a playful term for a "sleepyhead" who often feels sleepy. This character is not in formal HSK lists but is common in casual conversations about tiredness.

Common words containing 瞌 include: 打瞌睡 (dǎ kē shuì) — to nod off; to doze; 瞌睡 (kē shuì) — To doze off; 瞌睡虫 (kē shuì chóng) — Sleepyhead.