How to Write 唾 (tuò) — Meaning “saliva / to spit”

Picture a mouth (口) that is drooling — the drool is hanging down (垂). You can imagine someone spitting, and the spit hangs from their lip like a string. This connects the shape of 垂 with the idea of liquid falling from the mouth.

Write the left radical 口 first with 3 strokes, then write the right part 垂 with 8 strokes (total 11). Make sure 口 is compact and sits slightly above the middle of 垂, and do not make 垂 too wide or tall — keep the two parts balanced. A common mistake is writing 垂 with wrong stroke order; remember it starts with a left-falling stroke (丿).

唾 (tuò) means "saliva" or "to spit" and has 垂 on the right. 呲 (cī or zī) means "to bare teeth" or a sound, and its right part is 此 (cǐ). 咠 (qì) means "to whisper" and has 耳 (ear) under 口. Visually, the right side of each character is different, and their meanings all involve the mouth but in distinct actions: spitting, showing teeth, or whispering.

唾 appears in common words like 唾液 (saliva, used in medical or scientific contexts) and 唾弃 (to spurn or despise, a strong metaphorical expression meaning "to spit on"). Colloquially, 唾沫 means "spit" or "saliva," but avoid using it directly in polite conversation — it is more neutral in written or descriptive language.

Common words containing 唾 include: 唾液 (tuò yè) — saliva; 唾弃 (tuò qì) — to spurn / to despise / to cast aside; 唾沫 (tuò mò) — saliva / spit.