How to Write 抠 (kōu) — Meaning “to dig out with a finger; to be stingy; to nitpick”

Imagine using your finger (扌) to pick out coins from a locked area (区) because you are too stingy to spend them. This combines the meanings of "digging with a finger" and "being stingy."

Write 扌 first (three strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, lift), then the right part 区: first the horizontal, then a left-falling stroke (丿), then the inner X-like shape (乂), and finally the right-falling stroke (㇏). A common mistake is making the right part too wide or forgetting that 区 has an enclosed structure with an opening on the left.

抠 (kōu) means to dig or be stingy, while 㧜 (luǒ) is a rare character meaning to bind or wrap, and 扑 (pū) means to rush at or pat. Visually, 抠 has 区 on the right, 㧜 has a different right component (not in common use), and 扑 has 卜 (bǔ) on the right, which looks like a simple cross.

抠 appears in common words like 抠门 (stingy) and 抠鼻子 (pick one's nose). In everyday conversation, calling someone 抠门 is mild criticism for being overly frugal, but not extremely rude. The word 抠字眼 is used when someone focuses too much on exact wording, often in debates or editing.

Common words containing 抠 include: 抠门 (kōu mén) — stingy; miserly; 抠字眼 (kōu zì yǎn) — to nitpick on words; to quibble over wording; 抠鼻子 (kōu bí zi) — to pick one's nose.