How to Write 呸 (pēi) — Meaning “bah! / ptooey! (expression of contempt)”

Imagine someone tastes a bad piece of pie and spits it out, making the sound "pēi!" The left side 口 looks like a mouth, and the right side 丕 can be remembered as "pie" — so you spit out a bad pie. This visual connects the shape to the disgusted sound.

The left 口 should be small and narrow, placed slightly above the middle of the right part. The right side 丕 has five strokes: horizontal, left-falling, horizontal, vertical, and a final horizontal; avoid making the left part too big or mixing up the stroke order of 丕. Common mistakes include writing the 口 too low or making the 丕 too wide.

呸 (pēi) expresses contempt like "bah!" or spitting, while 吁 (xū or yù) means to sigh or to shush gently. 吂 is a rare character (often meaning "not see clearly" or used in place names) and is not used in common expression. Visually, 呸 has 口 plus 丕, 吁 has 口 plus 于, and 吂 has 口 plus 亡 — so the right part changes the meaning and pronunciation entirely.

People use 呸 in comics, novels, or online messages to show strong disgust or rejection, like "Bah!" or "Ptooey!" It is often written alone as 呸! or repeated as 呸呸 to ward off bad luck after saying something unlucky. In real life, making a spitting sound is considered rude, so it appears mainly in written or dramatic dialogue.

Common words containing 呸 include: 呸 (pēi) — bah! / ptooey! (expression of contempt); 呸一声 (pēi yī shēng) — to say 'bah' in contempt; 呸呸 (pēi pēi) — ptooey (sound to ward off bad luck).