How to Write 俗 (sú) — Meaning “custom; vulgar; common”

Imagine a person (亻) standing in a valley (谷) where local people follow old customs. This visual of a person in a valley helps recall that 俗 means both "custom" and "vulgar" because valley folk might seem unsophisticated to outsiders.

Write the left radical 亻 (two strokes: slant and vertical) first, then the right side 谷 (8 strokes: top two strokes, then 八, then 口). A common mistake is making the 谷 too wide—keep it narrow so the character stays balanced. Note the 谷 has a small 口 at the bottom, not a 曰.

俗 (sú) means "custom" or "vulgar" and has 谷 (valley) on the right; 伯 (bó) means "uncle" or "eldest" and has 白 (white) on the right; 估 (gū) means "estimate" and has 古 (old) on the right. Focus on the right-side component to tell them apart.

俗 appears in words like 风俗 (custom), 俗气 (tacky), and 通俗 (popular, easy to understand). In Chinese culture, 俗 can describe things that are common or lacking refinement, so it is often used to contrast with "elegant" (雅). For example, 通俗音乐 means popular music that is easy for everyone to enjoy.

Common words containing 俗 include: 风俗 (fēng sú) — Custom or tradition; 俗气 (sú qì) — tacky; vulgar; in poor taste; 通俗 (tōng sú) — Popular, common, or colloquial..