How to Write 脓 (nóng) — Meaning “pus”

Imagine a farmer (农) working in the field who steps on a nail and gets a swollen injury on his flesh (月) that fills with pus. The farmer's wound is a 脓 (nóng), "pus" — the sound matches the farmer's name.

The left radical 月 must be narrow and tall, like a crescent moon, not too wide. The right side 农 has a dot above the left-falling stroke (丿) — don't forget that dot. The bottom part of 农 (like 衣 without the top dot) should be balanced with the left radical.

脓 uses 月 (flesh) on the left and 农 on the right; it means pus. 朊 (ruǎn) also has 月 (flesh) but the right side is 元 (yuan), and it means "protein" or "soft" — completely different meaning. 朋 (péng) has 月 twice (two moons) and means "friend"; it has a symmetrical shape, unlike the single-left-radical of 脓.

脓 is used in medical contexts to describe infected pus. Common phrases include 化脓 (suppurate, as a wound becomes infected), 脓包 (an abscess or pustule), and 流脓 (pus oozing out). It is not a polite or casual word; it is mostly used in clinical or descriptive medical language.

Common words containing 脓 include: 化脓 (huà nóng) — Fester / Suppurate; 脓包 (nóng bāo) — abscess; pustule; 流脓 (liú nóng) — ooze pus.