How to Write 吻 (wěn) — Meaning “to kiss”

Imagine you see a mouth (口) saying "no" (勿) but then someone gently kisses it anyway — so the mouth that said "no" still gets kissed. The visual of a surprised mouth being kissed helps you link the shape to the meaning.

The left part 口 should be small and slightly higher than the right part 勿. The right side starts with a short left-falling stroke, followed by a horizontal stroke and then a sweeping hook — make sure the hook curves inward. Common mistake: writing the right side too wide or making the left mouth too large.

吻 uses 口 (mouth) with 勿 (not) and means "kiss." 卟 (bǔ) uses 口 with 卜 (divination) and is rarely used, meaning a sound or to divine. 古 (gǔ) uses 十 (ten) inside 口 and means "ancient." Visually, 吻 has a curvy right side, while 卟 has a short stroke and 古 has a cross inside.

吻 is the formal word for "to kiss" and appears in common compounds like 亲吻 (qīn wěn) and 接吻 (jiē wěn), both meaning "to kiss." It is also used in 吻别 (wěn bié, "kiss goodbye"). In Chinese culture, public kissing is less common than in the West, so these words are used more cautiously in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 吻 include: 亲吻 (qīn wěn) — to kiss; 接吻 (jiē wěn) — to kiss; 吻别 (wěn bié) — to kiss goodbye.