ENESFRDE中文

Characters, words, pinyin or English

酸 suān sour

sour; ache

How to remember 酸: 酉 whisky bottle + 夋 hesitate = sour. Uncle opens an old whisky bottle from the cellar, and the guests hesitate to taste it because it smells so sour.

  • 1,456. most frequent character
  • HSK 4
  • 14 strokes
  • Radical 酉

Component breakdown

酸 = 酉 whisky bottle + 夋 hesitate

  • 酉 whisky bottle
  • 夋 hesitate
The Gushi story

Uncle opens an old whisky bottle from the cellar, and the guests hesitate to taste it because it smells so sour.

How it is used

  • Two everyday senses: literal 'sour' - 这个橘子很酸 (zhège júzi hěn suān) this orange is sour; and physical 'achy/sore' - 腿很酸 (tuǐ hěn suān) my legs ache.
  • Distinct from 疼/痛 (téng/tòng, sharp pain): 酸 is the dull, tired soreness of muscles after exercise.
  • Figurative 心酸 (xīnsuān) means heartache/bittersweet sadness - 酸 stands for one of the five tastes in 酸甜苦辣 (suān-tián-kǔ-là), the phrase for life's ups and downs.

Words with 酸

Example sentences

  • 柠檬太酸了。 Níngméng tài suān le.This lemon is too sour.