How to Write 狭 (xiá) — Meaning “narrow”

Imagine a dog (犭) trying to squeeze through a very tight space, with two boards pressing it from both sides (夹). This picture of a dog being "squeezed" into a narrow gap helps you recall both the shape and the meaning of "narrow."

The radical 犭 has a specific stroke order: first the left-falling stroke, then the right curve hook, and finally the inner left-falling stroke — do not write it as three separate vertical lines. On the right side, 夹 has 6 strokes; make sure the two "people" (从) inside are not too wide and the final two right-falling strokes are balanced. A common mistake is making the right side too big or misplacing the central strokes, causing the character to look uneven.

狭 (xiá) means "narrow" and uses the radical 犭 plus 夹; 状 (zhuàng) means "shape" or "form" and has the radical 丬 (wood split) plus 犬 (dog), not 夹. 犹 (yóu) means "still" or "like" and combines 犭 with 尤 (yóu), not 夹. Visually, 狭 has the "squeeze" component 夹 in the middle, while 状 has a vertical slash on the left (丬) and 犹 has 尤 (without the two outer strokes of 夹).

狭 is most commonly found in the words 狭窄 (xiá zhǎi) meaning "narrow" or "cramped," and 狭小 (xiá xiǎo) meaning "narrow and small." It can also be used in abstract phrases like 狭义 (xiá yì) meaning "narrow sense" (as opposed to 广义, broad sense). In everyday speech, 宽 (kuān, wide) is more common for physical width, while 狭 tends to appear in more formal or literary contexts, or when describing a space that feels uncomfortably tight.

Common words containing 狭 include: 狭窄 (xiá zhǎi) — narrow / cramped; 狭小 (xiá xiǎo) — narrow and small; 狭义 (xiá yì) — narrow sense.