How to Write 疼 (téng) — Meaning “pain”

Imagine that in winter (冬), if you get sick (疒), you will feel pain (疼). This visual link between cold weather and illness helps you recall that 疼 means pain.

Start with the dot on top of the radical, then write the horizontal and left-falling strokes. A common mistake is making the horizontal stroke of 疒 too long or forgetting the two dots under 冬, which should be written clearly.

疼 (téng) means physical pain and contains 冬, while 疙 (gē) means a bump or pimple and has 乞, and 疚 (jiù) means guilt or remorse and uses 久. Visually, the right-hand parts are different, and the meanings are distinct: pain, skin lump, and emotional guilt.

You use 疼 for physical pain like headache (头疼) or stomachache (肚子疼). It is also used as the verb 'to love dearly' in 疼爱 (téng ài), which often describes a parent's deep affection for a child.

Common words containing 疼 include: 头疼 (tóu téng) — headache; 肚子疼 (dǔ zi téng) — Stomachache; belly ache.; 疼爱 (téng ài) — to love dearly.