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僬 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
僬jiāoclever, alert; pigmyx, 14 strokes, radical 亻
jiāo(Jiao1) T1
  1. 1clever, alert; pigmy
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

僬jiāo(Jiao1)

The character 僬 (jiāo) conveys meanings related to being clever or alert, often used to describe someone who is quick-witted or sharp-minded. It can also refer to a specific type of small creature, such as a pigmy. This character is less common in everyday language but can be found in certain compound words that describe cleverness or agility.

Strokes14Radical亻
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, cleverness and alertness are often valued traits, especially in storytelling and folklore, where characters who are quick-witted tend to outsmart others. The character's use in literature can reflect these cultural values.

Memory Tip

Think of 僬 as a clever little creature darting around, quick and smart. The left part (亻) represents a person, while the right part (喬) can remind you of a 'clever' sound, as if the creature is always alert and ready to respond.

Meanings of 僬

jiāo(Jiao1)
1clever, alert; pigmy
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 僬

僬Simplified
14Strokes
亻Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 僬

JasonAmy

Podcast: 僬

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AI Study Notes for 僬

Usage Notes

When using 僬, be cautious as it is not commonly used in daily conversation. It tends to appear in literary or poetic contexts. Learners should also note the tonal pronunciation, as mispronouncing it can lead to confusion with other characters.

HSK Study Tips

Although 僬 is not found in the HSK vocabulary lists, it can be useful for learners aiming to deepen their understanding of nuanced vocabulary. Focus on its usage in combination with other characters like 僬侥 (jiāo yáo) to see how it functions in context.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 僬 with similar characters that convey different meanings, such as 嫌 (xián) which means to dislike. A common mistake is to mispronounce it as jiào instead of jiāo.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 僬

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Etymology of 僬

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

person

Semantic (meaning)亻
+
Phonetic (sound)焦
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 僬

  1. 1The meaning half亻 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half焦 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayperson
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 僬? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 僬?

Decomposition of 僬

IDS Structure⿰亻焦
僬Full Character
=
亻ren2
left
焦Jiao1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 僬?

How to say clever, alert; pigmy in Chinese

“clever, alert; pigmy” in Chinese is僬jiāo

The character 僬 (jiāo) conveys meanings related to being clever or alert, often used to describe someone who is quick-witted or sharp-minded. It can also refer to a specific type of small creature, such as a pigmy. This character is less common in everyday language but can be found in certain compound words that describe cleverness or agility.

When to use 僬

When using 僬, be cautious as it is not commonly used in daily conversation. It tends to appear in literary or poetic contexts. Learners should also note the tonal pronunciation, as mispronouncing it can lead to confusion with other characters.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 僬 with similar characters that convey different meanings, such as 嫌 (xián) which means to dislike. A common mistake is to mispronounce it as jiào instead of jiāo.

Write 僬

僬

Practice writing 僬 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 僬

Words Containing This Character1
僬jiāoJiao Yao
Exercise 1 of 1

Compound Meaning

What does 僬 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 僬

No, 僬 is not commonly used in everyday conversation; it is more often found in literary texts.

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