How to Write 暌 (kuí) — Meaning “separated; apart”

Imagine the sun (日) shining on two people standing far apart, with their shadows forming the shape of 癸. Think "the sun sees them 暌 (apart)." The radical 日 reminds you of daytime, when separation feels most obvious.

Write the left radical 日 first (three strokes: vertical, horizontal, bottom horizontal), then the right part 癸 in order: top 癶 (4 strokes) then bottom 天 (4 strokes). A common mistake is making the left 日 too wide or forgetting the small horizontal line inside 癸—keep it narrow to balance the 13 strokes.

暌 means "separated," while 晗 (hán) means "dawn" and is rarely used. 㬎 is an obscure character meaning "sunlight" or "bright" and appears only in ancient texts. Visually, 暌 has 癸 on the right, 晗 has 含 (to contain), and 㬎 has a different right component—so focus on the right side to tell them apart.

暌 is a literary character used in formal writing, not daily conversation. You see it in words like 暌违 (kuí wéi, "to be separated for a long time") or 暌别 (kuí bié, "to part"), often in letters or classical poetry. It carries a poetic, nostalgic tone—for example, saying "暌违已久" means "we have been apart for a long time."

Common words containing 暌 include: 暌违 (kuí wéi) — to be separated for a long time; 暌别 (kuí bié) — to be separated; to part from each other; 暌隔 (kuí gé) — separated; divided.