How to Write 凝 (níng) — Meaning “to congeal; to concentrate”

Imagine water (冫) becoming ice so it stops moving, and think of a person staring (凝视) so still that they seem frozen in doubt (疑). The ice radical plus the idea of hesitation helps you recall both meanings: congealing liquid and concentrating your gaze.

Write the left radical 冫 first (two dots), then the right side starting with the top left 丿, followed by 矢, then 疋. A common mistake is making the right side too wide; keep it balanced so the left ice radical is not squeezed. The bottom part 疋 has a horizontal stroke that should extend slightly left to support the whole character.

Both have the ice radical 冫, but 凛 means "cold" or "severe" and focuses on temperature or strictness, while 凝 means "to congeal" or "to concentrate." Visually, 凛 has a simpler right side (禀) with a grain radical, whereas 凝 has a more complex right side (疑) with more strokes and a different bottom structure.

凝 appears in common words like 凝聚 (to gather, as in team spirit) and 凝视 (to gaze intently). In Chinese culture, gazing or concentrating is often seen as a sign of deep thought or respect, and 凝固 is used for scientific processes like freezing. Though not in HSK, these words are useful in advanced or literary contexts.

Common words containing 凝 include: 凝聚 (níng jù) — to condense; to aggregate; 凝视 (níng shì) — to gaze; to stare; 凝固 (níng gù) — to solidify; to freeze.