How to Write 嘌 (piào) — Meaning “Purine (used in compounds)”

Imagine a ticket (票) for a meal that you put in your mouth (口) to check the purine level. The sound 'piào' is the same as the character for ticket, so think 'ticket in the mouth equals purine.'

Write the left 口 first (3 strokes), then the right part 票 (11 strokes). Keep the 口 small and high, and make the right part compact because 票 has many strokes. A common mistake is making the 口 too large or writing the 票 component too wide, which throws off the balance.

嘌 has the right side 票 (ticket) and is pronounced piào, while 啻 has the right side 帝 (emperor) and is pronounced chì, meaning 'only' or 'but'. The character 㕡 is very rare and not used in modern Chinese, so you only need to remember the clear visual difference between 嘌 and 啻.

嘌 is almost never used alone; it appears only in the compound 嘌呤 (piào líng, purine) and related terms like 低嘌呤 (low purine). You will see it in medical or dietary contexts, especially when discussing foods for people with gout.

Common words containing 嘌 include: 嘌呤 (piào líng) — Purine; 嘌呤值 (piào líng zhí) — Purine level / Purine value; 低嘌呤 (dī piào líng) — low purine.