How to Write 揶 (yé) — Meaning “to mock; to ridicule”

Imagine a person using their hand (扌) to point and make a mocking 'yeah' sound (耶) at someone. This playful gesture of saying 'yeah, right!' helps you connect the hand radical to the meaning of mocking.

When writing 揶, keep the left radical 扌 narrow and the right part 耶 wide. The right side has three strokes in the upper '耳' component – make sure the horizontal strokes are even. Avoid making the left hand radical too large, or the character will look unbalanced.

揶 and 括 both use the hand radical 扌, but 括 has the phonetic component 舌 (tongue) and means 'to include' or 'to wrap'. Visually, 揶's right side is 耶 (with a larger top part), while 括's right side is 舌 (with a flat top). Meaning-wise, 揶 always implies mocking, while 括 is about containing or sweeping.

揶 is not common in daily conversation; it appears mostly in the word 揶揄 (yé yú), meaning 'to mock' or 'to tease' in a lighthearted or sarcastic way. You might encounter it in literature or formal contexts when describing playful ridicule, not harsh insults. The phrase 揶揄地笑 describes a mocking smirk.

Common words containing 揶 include: 揶揄 (yé yú) — to mock; to tease; 被揶揄 (bèi yé yú) — To be ridiculed or teased; 揶揄地笑 (yé yú dì xiào) — to smile mockingly; to smirk.