How to Write 嚅 (rú) — Meaning “To mumble / To move one's lips”

Imagine someone needing (需) to move their mouth (口) but only producing a soft, unclear mumble. The right side 需 looks like rain falling on a face, which can remind you of lips twitching nervously as you speak.

Pay attention to the balance: the left radical 口 is small and sits at the top-left, while the right side 需 has many strokes. The top of 需 is 雨 (rain) with a horizontal stroke that should extend slightly to the left, and the bottom part 而 must be written compactly. Common mistakes include making the 口 too large or misplacing the dots in 雨.

嚅 (rú) means to mumble or move lips, while 嘬 (chuài) means to suck or eat greedily, using the mouth more forcefully. 嘭 (pēng) describes a loud banging sound, not mouth movement. Visually, 嚅 has the right side 需, 嘬 has three mouths (品) on the left or sometimes 口+最, and 嘭 uses 彭 as phonetic, so they look quite different.

嚅 is an uncommon literary character, mostly found in written descriptions of hesitant or unclear speech, like 嚅动 (rú dòng) for lip twitching. The phrase 唯唯嚅嚅 (wéi wéi rú rú) describes someone who mumbles and acts submissively. It is rarely used in daily conversation but may appear in novels or formal writing to show nervousness or reluctance.

Common words containing 嚅 include: 嚅动 (rú dòng) — To move one's lips / To twitch; 嚅嚅 (rú rú) — Mumbling; 唯唯嚅嚅 (wéi wéi rú rú) — To mumble / To be hesitant in speech.