How to Write 怄 (òu) — Meaning “to irritate; to feel annoyed; to sulk”

Imagine someone sulking in a corner: the left side 忄 is a heart feeling annoyed, and the right side 区 looks like a small enclosed area, like a room. Picture a person standing in a corner with a sad heart, feeling angry but not speaking, which is exactly what 怄 means.

Start with the vertical heart radical (忄) on the left: the two dots first, then the vertical stroke. Then write the right part 区: first the horizontal stroke, then the inner structure (two vertical lines and a final horizontal line closing the bottom). A common mistake is making the right side too wide or forgetting to close the bottom horizontal line of 区.

怄 (òu) means to sulk or feel annoyed, while 忉 (dāo) appears in 忉忉 meaning worried or grieved, and 忏 (chàn) means to repent or confess in Buddhism. Visually, 怄 has 区 on the right, 忉 has 刀 (knife), and 忏 has 千 (thousand). So they look different and have unrelated meanings despite sharing the heart radical.

怄 is common in everyday speech, especially in phrases like 怄气 (òu qì) meaning to sulk or be in a huff, and 怄火 (òu huǒ) meaning to be fuming angry. It is often used in informal contexts when someone is quietly annoyed or holding a grudge, for example: 别怄气了 (Don't sulk). It is not part of the HSK vocabulary but appears in daily conversation.

Common words containing 怄 include: 怄气 (òu qì) — to sulk; to be annoyed; to be in a huff; 怄火 (òu huǒ) — to be fuming; to be very angry; 怄人 (òu rén) — annoying; irritating.