How to Write 痣 (zhì) — Meaning “mole; nevus”

Imagine that a mole is a 'sick ambition' — a strange spot that grows on your skin as if your body has a little 'ambition' to make a mark. Alternatively, picture the radical 疒 as a bed where you lie sick, and the top part of 志 looks like a heart with a line through it, like a spot on your skin.

Write the radical 疒 first: dot, horizontal stroke, left-falling stroke, then dot in the upper left area. Then write 志 inside the stroke of 疒: first write 士 (three strokes), then 心 (four strokes). Make sure the left-falling stroke of 疒 extends low enough to cover the whole right part, and keep the 心 component balanced underneath 士.

All three share the sickness radical 疒, but differ in their right-sided components and meanings. 痣 (zhì) specifically means a mole or nevus, 疰 (zhù) refers to a chronic disease (often seasonal), and 疱 (pào) means a blister or pimple. Visually, 痣 uses 志, 疰 uses 主, and 疱 uses 包 — so the inner part changes the pronunciation and the specific skin condition.

痣 is most commonly used in medical and beauty contexts, such as 黑痣 (hēi zhì, black mole) and 去痣 (qù zhì, mole removal). In Chinese face reading, moles are sometimes believed to bring good or bad luck depending on their location, so the character may appear in discussions about fortune or appearance.

Common words containing 痣 include: 黑痣 (hēi zhì) — Black mole; 去痣 (qù zhì) — to remove a mole; 长痣 (zhǎng zhì) — To grow a mole.