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How to Write 骚 (sāo) — Meaning “Disturbance or coquettish”

sāo HSK Level 7 12 strokes Radical: 马

骚 (sāo) means "Disturbance or coquettish" in Chinese. It has 12 strokes with the radical 马, and is HSK Level 7.

Rated 4.2/5 in difficulty (advanced).

Harder than 98% of HSK Level 7 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 骚乱 (sāo luàn), 骚扰 (sāo rǎo), 离骚 (lí sāo).

Due to its 12 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 骚 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 骚 - sāo

Practice Writing 骚 (sāo)

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How to Write 骚

The character 骚 (sāo) is written with 12 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 马 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does sāo (骚) Mean in Chinese?

骚 means Disturbance or coquettish.

As an HSK Level 7 character, 骚 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character骚
Pinyinsāo (sao)
MeaningDisturbance or coquettish
Strokes12
Radical马
HSK Level7
Difficulty4.2/5

Origin of 骚

The character 骚 combines the radical 马 (horse) with 蚤 (flea) as a phonetic hint. Originally it depicted a horse shaking off fleas, which led to the meaning 'disturbance' or 'agitation.' Over time, it also came to mean 'coquettish,' as an agitated or flirtatious manner can be seen as a disturbance of social norms.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a horse (马) covered in fleas (蚤) acting restless and flirty—that's the 骚 disturbance of a coquettish horse.

Common Words with 骚

骚乱 sāo luàn
Riot or disturbance
骚扰 sāo rǎo
To harass
离骚 lí sāo
Li Sao (The Lament)

Example Sentences

街上发生了骚乱。

jiē shàng fā shēng le sāo luàn

A riot broke out on the street.

不要骚扰别人休息。

bú yào sāo rǎo bié rén xiū xī

Don't disturb others' rest.

我在读《离骚》。

wǒ zài dú lí sāo

I am reading 'Li Sao'.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
骚 (current) sāo 12 马
骊 lí 10 马
骋 chěng 10 马
验 yàn 10 马
Stroke order practice for 骚 - sāo

Practice Writing 骚 (sāo)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 骚 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 骚

骚 is composed of the radical 马 (horse) on the left and 蚤 (flea) on the right. The horse radical suggests movement or restless action, while the flea implies something tiny that causes irritation — together they create the sense of disturbance or unsettling behavior.

More HSK Level 7 Characters

伯bó呵hē哎āi哀āi唉āi/ài癌ái艾ài/yì滋zī抚fǔ逸yì昂áng凹āo/wā熬āo/áo奥ào卦guà扒bā/pá芭bā蕾lěi柄bǐng靶bǎ

Characters with Radical 马

马mǎ驭yù驮duò/tuó驯xùn驰chí驱qū驳bó驴lǘ驵zǎng驶shǐ

Other 12-Stroke Characters

亵xiè傅fù傈lì傍bàng傕jué傚xiào傣dǎi傥tǎng傧bīn储chǔ