How to Write 吮 (shǔn) — Meaning “to suck”

Imagine opening your mouth (口) and saying "shhh" before you suck (shǔn) a drink through a straw — the right side 允 looks like a person nodding "yes" (meaning allow), so picture your mouth being allowed to suck. Another trick: think of "shǔn" as sounding like "soon," and you will soon start sucking if you open your mouth.

The stroke order is: left radical 口 (3 strokes), then 允: ㇆ (1), ㇜ (1), ㇒ (1), 乚 (1) — 7 strokes total. A common mistake is making the right side 允 too wide or writing its hook (乚) too small; the right part should be compact and slightly lower than the left mouth radical. Also, ensure the top of 允 (㇆) does not touch the mouth horizontally.

吮 (shǔn) means "to suck" and uses the radical 口 with 允, while 卟 (bǔ) is a rare character used in a divination term (卟卦) and has 口 with 卜. 古 (gǔ) means "old" and has 口 on top and 十 below. Visually, 吮 has a bigger right component (允) with a hook, whereas 卟 is simpler (口 + 卜), and 古 is top-bottom (十 above 口). Always remember that 吮 involves the mouth actively sucking, while the others are unrelated to that action.

吮 is most common in the word 吮吸 (shǔn xī), meaning "to suck" or "to absorb" (e.g., babies sucking milk or straws). It also appears in 吮指 (shǔn zhǐ) and 吮手指 (shǔn shǒu zhǐ), meaning "to suck one's fingers," often used in food advertising like KFC's 吮指原味鸡 (Finger Lickin' Good Chicken). The character is not part of HSK vocabulary but is used in everyday contexts involving eating or drinking.

Common words containing 吮 include: 吮吸 (shǔn xī) — to suck; to absorb; 吮指 (shǔn zhǐ) — to suck one's fingers; 吮手指 (shǔn shǒu zhǐ) — to suck one's fingers.