How to Write 臜 (zā) — Meaning “dirty; filthy”

Imagine someone is praising (赞) you, but they have dirty (臜) hands from eating greasy meat (月). The visual of a hand covered in filth while giving praise can help link the components to the meaning "dirty."

The left radical 月 should be narrow and tall, while the right part 赞 is wider and takes up about two-thirds of the character. Pay attention to the many strokes in 赞—especially the horizontal strokes—and make sure the overall shape is balanced without tilting.

The most common expression is 腌臜 (ā zā), which means dirty or filthy and is often used in everyday speech to describe something disgusting, like a messy room. Other phrases include 臜东西 (zā dōng xī, "filthy thing" or "scoundrel") and 臜气 (zā qì, meaning foul air or stench).

This character is quite rare and appears mainly in the colloquial word 腌臜 (ā zā), which is informal and sometimes considered vulgar. It is used in spoken Chinese to express disgust or to call someone or something dirty, but you will not find it in formal writing or the HSK vocabulary list.

Common words containing 臜 include: 腌臜 (ā zā) — Dirty / Filthy; 臜东西 (zā dōng xī) — filthy thing; scoundrel; 臜气 (zā qì) — filth; foul air.