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March 24, 2026
肮(骯)āng(ang1)
The character 肮 (āng) means 'dirty' or 'filthy.' It describes something that is unclean or soiled, often used in both literal and figurative contexts. You'll encounter this term in discussions about cleanliness, hygiene, and moral filth.
Strokes8Radical⺼Frequency#52563DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, cleanliness is highly valued, and being '肮' (dirty) is often associated with poor hygiene or moral degradation. This emphasizes the importance of cleanliness in both public and private life.
Memory Tip
Imagine a muddy dog (肮) rolling in dirt. The character resembles a dog (犬) in the bottom part, hinting at something that gets dirty. Remember 'āng' by associating it with 'angry' when you see something filthy.
Meanings of 肮
āng(ang1)
1dirty, filthy
Exercise 1 of 2
Listen & Choose the Meaning
Choose the correct answer:
About 肮
肮Simplified
骯Traditional
8Strokes
⺼Radical
形容词xíngróngcíadjective (adj.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank
Podcast: 肮
Podcast: 肮
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AI Study Notes for 肮
Quick Contrast
肮 (āng) vs 脏 (zāng) — use 肮 for a more figurative or moral sense of dirtiness, while 脏 is used for physical uncleanliness.
Usage Notes
Be cautious with the tone; 'āng' has a flat tone that can be confused with other words. This character often appears in phrases related to cleanliness, such as '肮脏' (āng zāng, dirty), so knowing these collocations can be helpful.
HSK Study Tips
Although 肮 is not classified under HSK levels, it connects with other vocabulary related to cleanliness and health at the beginner level. Focus on learning its use in everyday phrases to enhance understanding.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse 肮 with the character 脏 (zāng), which also means 'dirty.' For example, saying '我觉得这个房间肮' is incorrect; it should be '我觉得这个房间脏.'
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 肮
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Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 亢 represents the sound. Simplified form of 骯.
1The meaning half⺼ carries the sense.
2The sound half亢 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
3The giveawaymeat
4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 肮? 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 肮?
Decomposition of 肮
IDS Structure⿰⺼亢
肮Full Character
=
⺼rou4
left
亢Kang4
right
Exercise 1 of 2
Identify the Components
Which of these is a component of 肮?
How to say dirty, filthy in Chinese
“dirty, filthy” in Chinese is肮āng
The character 肮 (āng) means 'dirty' or 'filthy.' It describes something that is unclean or soiled, often used in both literal and figurative contexts. You'll encounter this term in discussions about cleanliness, hygiene, and moral filth.
When to use 肮
Be cautious with the tone; 'āng' has a flat tone that can be confused with other words. This character often appears in phrases related to cleanliness, such as '肮脏' (āng zāng, dirty), so knowing these collocations can be helpful.
肮 or something close to it
肮 (āng) vs 脏 (zāng) — use 肮 for a more figurative or moral sense of dirtiness, while 脏 is used for physical uncleanliness.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 肮 with the character 脏 (zāng), which also means 'dirty.' For example, saying '我觉得这个房间肮' is incorrect; it should be '我觉得这个房间脏.'
Write 肮
肮
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Practice writing 肮 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
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Grammar Patterns of 肮
肮 functions as an adjective. In Chinese it behaves like a stative verb: place it directly after the subject without 是 (我很高，not 我是高). Use 不 to negate (不高) and pair it with 很 in plain affirmative sentences. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
Exercise 1 of 4
Complete the Sentence
据《好酒吧指南》所说，酒吧一般环境____脏，气味难闻，而且气氛很不友好。
Pubs are dirty, smelly and unfriendly, according to the Good Pub Guide.
