How to Write 胯 (kuà) — Meaning “hip; crotch”

Picture a person whose hip (胯) is so wide that they need to "夸" (boast) about it. The left part 月 reminds you it's a body part, and the right part 夸 sounds like "kwa," helping you recall the pinyin kuà.

Write the left radical 月 first (three strokes: vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal), then the right side 夸 (7 strokes: cross, horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal, horizontal, vertical fold hook). A common mistake is making the left 月 too narrow or forgetting the final hook on the bottom stroke of 夸.

朊 (ruǎn) means 'protein' or 'soft' and uses 月 with 元; it is not a body part term. 朋 (péng) means 'friend' and is two 月 side by side, not related to the body. 胯 specifically refers to the hip or crotch area and has the phonetic component 夸.

胯 is used to describe the hip or crotch area, as in 胯骨 (hip bone) and 胯下 (area between the legs). In Chinese martial arts or folk tales, the phrase 胯下之辱 (humiliation of crawling under someone's crotch) is a famous reference to Han Xin, a historical figure.

Common words containing 胯 include: 胯骨 (kuà gǔ) — hip bone; 胯下 (kuà xià) — between the legs; under the crotch; 胯部 (kuà bù) — hip area; crotch area.