How to Write 傩 (nuó) — Meaning “Nuo (ancient ritual to drive away evil)”

Imagine a person (亻) facing a very difficult (难) situation, like a plague. The Nuo ritual was performed to chase away this difficulty, so the character shows a person fighting against something hard.

When writing 傩, first write the left radical 亻 (two strokes: slash and vertical). Then write the right side 难: start with 又 (two strokes), followed by 隹 (eight strokes). Keep the right side compact and balanced, and do not make the 隹 too tall or wide.

傩 uses the right side 难 and means 'Nuo ritual', while 俯 uses 府 (government building) and means 'to bow down'. 俱 uses 具 (tool) and means 'all, together'. Visually, the right parts are different: 难 (又+隹), 府 (广+付), and 具 (a tool shape).

Today 傩 appears mainly in cultural terms like 傩戏 (Nuo opera) and 傩面具 (Nuo masks), which are part of traditional folk performances in southern China. These rituals are recognized as intangible cultural heritage and are still performed during festivals to ward off evil spirits.

Common words containing 傩 include: 傩戏 (nuó xì) — Nuo opera; 傩舞 (nuó wǔ) — Nuo dance; 傩面具 (nuó miàn jù) — Nuo mask.