How to Write 瘾 (yǐn) — Meaning “addiction or craving”

Imagine a person (隐) who is sick (疒) because they have a hidden craving they cannot stop. The "urgent" sound of yǐn can remind you of an urgent need to satisfy the addiction. Picture someone urgently needing their next fix while feeling ill.

The left radical 疒 should be written with three strokes: a dot, a horizontal left-falling stroke, and a small left-falling stroke — do not connect it to the right part. The right side 隐 has a left-falling stroke that starts higher than the radical, and the final stroke (a hook) should be balanced below the top components. A common mistake is making the 疒 radical too wide or forgetting the small dot at the top.

瘾 (yǐn) means addiction or craving, while 瘊 (hóu) is a specific skin growth like a wart, and 瘌 (là) refers to a skin disease or bald patch. Visually, the right side differs: 瘾 has 隐 (hidden), 瘊 has 猴 (monkey), and 瘌 contains 剌 (pierce). Focus on the hidden meaning of 瘾 to remember it relates to internal cravings, not external skin problems.

瘾 is commonly used to describe strong, often negative habits like 上瘾 (shàng yǐn, to become addicted) or 烟瘾 (yān yǐn, nicotine craving). It also appears in positive contexts like 过瘾 (guò yǐn, to satisfy a craving or have an enjoyable experience). Culturally, Chinese people often use 瘾 to talk about internet addiction or gaming habits, though it carries a slightly negative connotation of loss of control.

Common words containing 瘾 include: 上瘾 (shàng yǐn) — To become addicted; 烟瘾 (yān yǐn) — addiction to smoking; craving for tobacco; 过瘾 (guò yǐn) — to satisfy a craving; enjoyable.