娇

嬌

jiāo

乔 + 女

Definitions

jiāo (adjective) delicate; tender; frail

jiāo (adjective) pampered; spoiled

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 乔 represents the sound. Simplified form of 嬌.

Semantic: 女 Phonetic: 乔

About

娇 is the simplified form of 嬌, a phono-semantic compound. The left component 女 (woman) points to feminine attributes, while the right component 乔 (abbreviated from 喬) gives the sound. Its early meanings cover beautiful, graceful, tender, and delicate, later expanding to pampered, fragile, or spoiled , often describing someone delicately raised or requiring gentle care.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

她有点娇气。

Tā yǒudiǎn jiāoqi.

She is a bit spoiled.

我的妹妹很娇小。

Wǒ de mèimei hěn jiāoxiǎo.

My younger sister is very delicate.

这些花朵很娇嫩。

Zhèxiē huāduǒ hěn jiāonèn.

These flowers are very tender.

春天里花儿娇艳。

Chūntiān lǐ huār jiāoyàn.

In spring, flowers are delicate and beautiful.

她娇声地抱怨着。

Tā jiāoshēng de bàoyuàn zhe.

She complained in a delicate voice.

她的笑容十分娇媚。

Tā de xiàoróng shífēn jiāomèi.

Her smile is very charming.

虽然她娇小，但很勇敢。

Suīrán tā jiāoxiǎo, dàn hěn yǒnggǎn.

Although she is delicate, she is very brave.

那个娇气的女孩总是需要帮助。

Nàgè jiāoqi de nǚhái zǒngshì xūyào bāngzhù.

That spoiled girl always needs help.

Related Characters

Component: 乔

Component: 女

娇