How to Write 剜 (wān) — Meaning “to gouge; to scoop out”

Imagine a curved blade (㕣 looks like a bent shape) cutting into something with the knife (刂) on the right. You can picture a surgeon using a small curved knife to gouge out a splinter. This visual of a curved cutting tool helps link the shape to the meaning of scooping out.

The left component 㕣 is written first: strokes are left horizontal, then the left vertical, then the top right horizontal, then the lower 口 (two strokes: vertical-horizontal). The right radical 刂 is written last: a short left stroke then the vertical hook. A common mistake is making the left part too wide—keep it narrow so the 刂 on the right has room.

剜 specifically means to gouge or scoop out with a sharp tool, often flesh or eyes. 刮 (guā) means to scrape or shave (like scraping a surface). 到 (dào) means 'to arrive' or 'to reach' and is unrelated in meaning. Visually, 剜 has the left component 㕣, while 刮 has a tongue radical 舌 and 到 uses 至.

剜 is uncommon in daily conversation but appears in literary or medical descriptions, such as 剜肉 (wān ròu, 'gouge out flesh') or 剜心 (wān xīn, 'gouge out the heart'). It is also used metaphorically in idioms like 剜肉补疮 (wān ròu bǔ chuāng, 'gouging out flesh to patch a wound'), meaning a desperate remedy that makes the problem worse. The character carries a graphic, violent connotation.

Common words containing 剜 include: 剜肉 (wān ròu) — to gouge out flesh; 剜心 (wān xīn) — to gouge out the heart; 剜眼 (wān yǎn) — to gouge out the eyes.