How to Write 窄 (zhǎi) — Meaning “Narrow.”

Imagine a cave (穴) that is so narrow you have to squeeze through it suddenly (乍). The bottom part 乍 looks like a person with arms squeezed tight, reminding you of a cramped space.

Write the radical 穴 first (dot, dot, hook, left, right strokes), then add 乍 below. A common mistake is making the bottom 乍 too wide — keep it narrow to match the meaning. The horizontal stroke in 乍 should be short and centered.

窄 (zhǎi) means narrow, while 穸 (xī) means night or tomb and has the bottom component 夕 (evening). 穹 (qióng) means arched or vaulted and uses 弓 (bow) below. Visually, the bottom parts differ: 乍, 夕, and 弓 change both meaning and pronunciation.

窄 is commonly used to describe physical narrowness, like in 很窄 (very narrow) or 狭窄 (cramped). It can also describe a narrow mind, as in 心胸狭窄 (narrow-minded). In daily life, you might hear it for narrow roads or small rooms.

Common words containing 窄 include: 很窄 (hěn zhǎi) — Very narrow; 狭窄 (xiá zhǎi) — narrow / cramped; 窄小 (zhǎi xiǎo) — Narrow and small or cramped..