How to Write 髯 (rán) — Meaning “beard on the cheeks; whiskers”

Imagine a man with long, flowing cheek whiskers (髟) that he gently strokes while saying "ran" (the sound of 冉). The 冉 part looks like a comb with two teeth, suggesting grooming a beard.

The top radical 髟 has three horizontal strokes: the first two are short, the third is long. Below it, 冉 must be centered and not too narrow; a common mistake is making the vertical stroke too short, which ruins the balance. Pay attention to the final sweeping stroke on the right side of 冉.

髯 specifically means cheek beard or whiskers, while 髡 (kūn) means a shaved head (an ancient punishment) and 髦 (máo) means hair hanging down or bangs. Visually, 髯 has 冉 below, 髡 has 几 (table) below, and 髦 has 毛 (fur) below.

髯 is not common in everyday speech but appears in literary or historical descriptions, like 美髯公 for a man with a magnificent beard. It is also used in terms like 须髯 to collectively refer to beard and whiskers, often in classical novels or martial arts fiction.

Common words containing 髯 include: 美髯公 (měi rán gōng) — Lord of the Magnificent Beard; 虬髯 (qiú rán) — Curly beard; 须髯 (xū rán) — Beard and whiskers.