How to Write 瘦 (shòu) — Meaning “thin; lean; slim”

Imagine a sick person (疒) who is so thin they look like an old man (叟) with only skin and bones. The radical reminds you that thinness can come from being unwell, and the old man shape helps you recall the right side.

Start with the left radical 疒: dot, horizontal stroke, then two dots inside and a left-falling stroke. The right part 叟 has a '臼' shape on top (like a mortar) and a '又' below; keep the whole character balanced and not too wide. A common mistake is making the left side too big.

All three share the radical 疒, but 瘦 means thin or lean, while 痘 means a pimple or smallpox (like a skin disease) and 痛 means pain or ache. Visually, the right side differs: 瘦 has 叟, 痘 has 豆, and 痛 has 甬.

瘦 is commonly used to describe a thin person (瘦子) or lean meat (瘦肉). In Chinese culture, being 瘦 is often seen as healthy and fit, but being too thin (like 瘦弱) can imply weakness. It is also used in the phrase 变瘦 for weight loss.

Common words containing 瘦 include: 变瘦 (biàn shòu) — to lose weight or become thin; 瘦肉 (shòu ròu) — lean meat; 瘦子 (shòu zi) — thin person.