How to Write 呕 (ǒu) — Meaning “to vomit / to feel sick”

Imagine a mouth (口) that is bent over like the shape of the right part 区, because when you feel sick you bend your body over a toilet. The right side looks like a person hunched over, helping you recall the feeling of nausea.

Write the left radical 口 first (three strokes: vertical, horizontal bend, horizontal). Then write the right part 区: horizontal stroke, left-falling stroke, then a vertical hook, and finally a small dot on top. Common mistakes include forgetting the final dot or making the right part too wide—keep it balanced with the mouth on the left.

呕 has the right component 区 (with a hook and dot), meaning 'to vomit.' 卟 has 卜 (a simple divination symbol) and is rarely used alone. 古 is just 十 on top of 口 and means 'ancient.' Visually, 呕 is the only one with a hooked vertical stroke on the right side.

呕 is most common in the word 呕吐 (ǒu tù) meaning 'to vomit,' used in medical or everyday contexts. It also appears in 呕气 (ǒu qì) 'to sulk' and 呕心 (ǒu xīn) 'painstaking,' which is used metaphorically for extreme effort, like in the idiom 呕心沥血 (to work one's heart out).

Common words containing 呕 include: 呕吐 (ǒu tù) — to vomit / to throw up; 呕气 (ǒu qì) — to feel annoyed / to sulk; 呕心 (ǒu xīn) — painstaking / heart-wrenching.