How to Write 肿 (zhǒng) — Meaning “Swollen”

Imagine someone stung by a bee in the middle (中) of their arm, causing the flesh (⺼) to become swollen. The "middle" part reminds you that 肿 sounds like zhǒng and means swollen.

Pay attention to the radical ⺼: it looks like a narrow "月" but has two horizontal strokes inside, not three. Write the left side first, then the right side 中 — note that the final vertical stroke of 中 goes through the middle of the mouth shape.

Both 肿 and 肝 use the flesh radical ⺼, but 肝 means "liver" (from 干 gān). 肿 always means swollen or swelling, while 肝 refers specifically to the organ. Visual difference: 肝 has 干 on the right, while 肿 has 中.

肿 is commonly used in medical contexts, like 红肿 (red and swollen) for inflamed skin or 消肿 (reduce swelling) after an injury. You might hear it in phrases about insect bites, sprains, or infections — no special cultural notes, just everyday health vocabulary.

Common words containing 肿 include: 红肿 (hóng zhǒng) — red and swollen; 消肿 (xiāo zhǒng) — to reduce swelling; 肿块 (zhǒng kuài) — Lump / Mass.