How to Write 驽 (nú) — Meaning “inferior horse; slow horse”

Imagine a slave (奴) struggling to ride a horse (马) that is too slow and weak — that's a 驽. The image of a bad horse burdening a slave helps link the parts to the meaning "inferior horse."

The left part 奴 has 5 strokes (女 then 又) and must be written narrow so the right 马 fits evenly. A common mistake is making the 奴 too wide, which throws off the character's balance — keep the left side compact and the right side aligned with it.

驮 means "to carry on a horse" and has 大 (big) on the left instead of 奴 — visually it's 大 next to 马. 驯 means "tame; gentle" and has 川 (river/stream) on the left — so 川 + 马. Unlike these, 驽 specifically describes a slow or inferior horse, not an action or a temperament.

驽 is rare in everyday speech, but appears in idioms like 驽马十驾 (a slow horse can travel ten days' distance with effort), meaning perseverance overcomes a lack of talent. It is also used in the literary word 驽钝 to describe someone as dull-witted in a humble or self-deprecating way.

Common words containing 驽 include: 驽马 (nú mǎ) — inferior horse; slow horse; 驽钝 (nú dùn) — slow-witted; dull; mediocre; 驽马十驾 (nú mǎ shí jià) — perseverance can overcome lack of talent.