How to Write 琢 (zhuó/zuó) — Meaning “To carve or polish jade”

Imagine a piece of jade (王) being hit by a chisel that looks like a pig's foot (豖). The sound 'zhuó' can remind you of 'zoo' — picture a worker at a zoo polishing a jade statue.

Be careful with the right side 豖 — it has a small horizontal stroke inside, not a dot, unlike the similar character 豕 (pig). Also, the left 王 radical should be written narrow and slightly smaller than the right part.

珙 (gǒng) is a rare word for a type of jade, and 珞 (luò) often appears in place names like 珞珈山. In contrast, 琢 is a verb meaning to carve or polish jade. Their right sides are different: 共, 各, and 豖.

琢 appears in common words like 琢磨 (zhuó mó, to ponder or polish) and 雕琢 (to carve and refine). It comes from the ancient art of jade carving, and the idiom 如切如磋，如琢如磨 describes the process of self-improvement through careful effort.

Common words containing 琢 include: 琢磨 (zhuó mó) — To ponder; to polish; 雕琢 (diāo zhuó) — To carve and polish; to refine; 琢玉 (zuó yù) — To polish jade.