How to Write 诳 (kuáng) — Meaning “to deceive”

Picture a person speaking (讠) like a madman (狂) – their wild, unbelievable words are clearly lies. You can also think: 'A crazy (狂) statement (讠) is a deception.'

First write the radical 讠 (2 strokes), then the right side 狂 (7 strokes). The left radical is narrow and sits high, while the right part is wider and extends lower – keep the 王 in 狂 narrow and the 犭 (dog radical) compact. Common mistakes: making 讠 too wide or misplacing the dot on top of 讠.

证 (zhèng, to prove) uses 正 (correct) on the right, so it relates to verifying truth, not deceiving. 诂 (gǔ, to explain ancient texts) uses 古 (ancient) on the right. 诳 uses 狂 (mad), so it uniquely carries the idea of wild, deceitful speech – only 诳 means ‘to deceive’ or ‘lie’.

诳 is not common in everyday conversation but appears in formal or literary contexts, especially in phrases like 诳语 (lies) and 欺诳 (to deceive). It often carries a stronger, more deliberate sense of lying than the common word 骗 (piàn), and can imply deception meant to mislead or cheat others.

Common words containing 诳 include: 诳语 (kuáng yǔ) — lies or deceitful talk; 说诳 (shuō kuáng) — to tell a lie; 欺诳 (qī kuáng) — to deceive; to delude.