How to Write 觑 (qù) — Meaning “to peep; to peer”

Imagine a person (represented by 见 on the right) peeping through an empty crack or hollow space (represented by 虚 on the left). The empty part reminds you that peeping often involves looking from a hidden or vacant area. This visual trick connects the character's components to its meaning of 'to peep.'

Pay attention to the left side 虚: first write the 虍 (tiger radical) with 7 strokes, then 且 (qie) with 5 strokes. The right side 见 should be narrower and slightly shorter than the left. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or confusing the stroke order of 虍, so practice writing it as a balanced left-right structure.

The key difference is the left component: 觑 has 虚 (empty), 觎 has 俞 (yu, meaning 'to satisfy' or 'boat'), and 觏 has 冓 (gou, meaning 'to meet'). In meaning, 觑 is 'to peep,' 觎 means 'to covet' or 'have designs on,' and 觏 means 'to meet' or 'encounter.' Visually, the left parts are distinct, so focus on memorizing them.

觑 is mostly used in formal or literary contexts, not in everyday conversation. The most common phrase is 面面相觑 (miàn miàn xiāng qù), meaning 'to look at each other in bewilderment or helplessness.' Another example is 偷觑 (tōu qù), 'to steal a look,' which describes sneaking a glance. You will encounter it in writing rather than spoken Chinese.

Common words containing 觑 include: 面面相觑 (miàn miàn xiāng qù) — Looking at each other in bewilderment; 偷觑 (tōu qù) — To steal a look; 觑看 (qù kàn) — to look at; to peer at.