How to Write 龌 (wò) — Meaning “dirty; filthy”

Imagine a house (屋) that is so dirty that teeth (齿) are scattered all over the floor — that's 龌. Another trick: think of a "wobbly" dirty room, because 龌 sounds like "wo" as in "wobble." This silly image helps you recall both the shape and the meaning.

Pay attention to the left radical 齿: it has a small '人' shape inside the top and a box-like bottom with a horizontal line. The right part 屋 starts with 尸 (three strokes) then adds 至 (six strokes), and the whole character is balanced left to right. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or forgetting the inner '人' in 齿.

All three share the radical 齿, but their right parts differ: 龌 has 屋 (room), 冁 has 单 (single), and 龉 has 吾 (I/my). Meaning-wise, 龌 means "dirty" or "base," 龉 refers to uneven teeth or disagreement, and 冁 means "to smile" (rare in modern use). Visually, remember that 龌 looks like a house (屋) with teeth, while the others use different components.

龌 almost always appears in the word 龌龊 (wò chuò), meaning "dirty, filthy, or morally mean." It describes someone's despicable actions (e.g., 龌龊事 for "dirty business") or unclean places. This character is not common in daily conversation and carries a strong negative tone, often found in written criticism or literary descriptions.

Common words containing 龌 include: 龌龊 (wò chuò) — dirty; filthy; base; mean; 龌龊事 (wò chuò shì) — dirty business; despicable deeds; 卑鄙龌龊 (bēi bǐ wò chuò) — mean and filthy; despicable.