臊 sāo · sào

HSK 7–9Character2 readings

to smell of urine (or sweat etc)

Strokes: 17
Structure: Left–right
Parts: 喿
Traditional: 臊
Frequency: #3919 most common character

Practice writing

Readings and meanings

sāoMain reading sàoRare reading

sāo

sao1Main readingHSK 7–9

to smell of urine (or sweat etc) CC-CEDICT

Words that use “臊” as sāo

臊气sāo qìfoul smellWord 臊腥sāo xīngstenchWord

sào

sao4Reading 2Rare reading

This reading is uncommon in everyday Chinese; the main reading is sāo.

shame CC-CEDICT
bashfulness CC-CEDICT
to shame CC-CEDICT
to humiliate CC-CEDICT

Words that use “臊” as sào

害臊hài sàoto feel shy and embarrassedWordHSK 7–9 臊子sào zi(dialect) minced or diced meatWord 没羞没臊méi xiū méi sàoshamelessWord 臊眉耷眼sào méi dā yǎn(dialect) ashamedWord

Stroke order

Practice writing 臊

Draw “臊” here — the faint guide shows its shape.

Example sentences

这个厕所很臊。
zhè ge cè suǒ hěn sāo
This toilet smells like urine.
AI-generated sentence
她臊得脸都红了。
tā sào de liǎn dōu hóng le
She was so shy that her face turned red.
AI-generated sentence
别拿这个臊他。
bié ná zhè ge sào tā
Don't use this to embarrass him.
AI-generated sentence

See all 6 words with 臊 →

臊

Character