How to Write 狞 (níng) — Meaning “Hideous; ferocious”

Imagine a fierce dog (犭) that cannot find peace (宁 means peace) because it is so angry, resulting in a hideous expression. The "dog" and "no peace" combine to form the idea of "ferocious."

Write the left radical 犭 first: a short diagonal stroke, then a curved hook, and finally a diagonal stroke. For the right part 宁, write the top dot, then the roof (dot, horizontal hook), then the vertical hook, and finally the bottom horizontal line. A common mistake is making the bottom horizontal too long; it should be narrower than the roof.

狞 has the right component 宁, while 犴 has 干 and means a type of wild dog (rare). 状 has the radical 丬 and means "form" or "state," used in common words like 形状 (shape). Unlike 狞, which is always negative and describes a hideous appearance, 状 is neutral and much more frequent.

狞 appears in words like 狞笑 (sinister smile) and 狰狞 (ferocious, hideous). It is used in literary or descriptive contexts to emphasize a frightening, evil facial expression. The phrase 面目狰狞 is a common idiom for describing a villain's or monster's terrifying look.

Common words containing 狞 include: 狞笑 (níng xiào) — A sinister smile; a hideous laugh; 面目狰狞 (miàn mù zhēng níng) — Hideous appearance / ferocious look; 狰狞 (zhēng níng) — hideous / ferocious.