How to Write 妖 (yāo) — Meaning “Demon or seductive”

Imagine a "woman" (女) who is a "yāo" — like a Yao demon from Chinese folklore. The right part 夭 looks like a person with arms outstretched, as if casting a spell or causing mischief.

Write the left radical 女 first, then the right component 夭. Common mistakes include making the radical too wide or misproportioned — the 夭 has three strokes: a left-falling stroke followed by two right-falling strokes, and its top horizontal line should be short.

妖 has the component 夭 (three strokes) on the right, while 奴 uses 又 (hand) and 奶 uses 乃 (two strokes). In meaning, 妖 means demon or seductive, 奴 means slave, and 奶 means milk or breast. Only 妖 carries a supernatural or alluring connotation.

妖 appears in words like 妖怪 (monster) and 妖精 (goblin or spirit). It is often used in fantasy stories or to describe someone who is alluring but dangerous. Culturally, 妖 refers to supernatural beings in Chinese mythology that can be evil or deceptive, so the term usually has a negative implication.

Common words containing 妖 include: 妖怪 (yāo guài) — Monster or demon; 妖精 (yāo jīng) — Goblin or spirit; 妖艳 (yāo yàn) — Seductively beautiful.