抠

摳

kōu

区 + 扌

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

kōu (verb) to dig out; to pick out (with fingers)

kōu (adjective) stingy; miserly

kōu (verb) to carve; to cut

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 区 represents the sound. Simplified form of 摳.

Semantic: 扌 Phonetic: 区

About

抠 is a simplified phono-semantic compound. The hand radical 扌 indicates the physical actions of digging out, picking, or scratching with a finger or small tool, while the phonetic component 区 supplies the pronunciation 'kōu'. The traditional form 摳 pairs the same hand radical with the unsimplified phonetic 區. In colloquial use, 抠 has also come to describe someone who is stingy or miserly, as if pinching every penny.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个人很抠门。

zhè gè rén hěn kōu mén.

This person is very stingy.

妈妈叫我别抠鼻子。

mā ma jiào wǒ bié kōu bí zi.

Mom told me not to pick my nose.

别抠那个伤口。

bié kōu nà gè shāng kǒu.

Don't scratch that wound.

他抠钱抠得很紧。

tā kōu qián kōu de hěn jǐn.

He is very tight with money.

他抠细节抠得很仔细。

tā kōu xì jié kōu de hěn zǐ xì.

He pays close attention to details.

她抠字眼儿抠得让人不耐烦。

tā kōu zì yǎn er kōu de ràng rén bù nài fán.

She nitpicks over words to the point of being annoying.

抠图是图像处理的一种技术。

kōu tú shì tú xiàng chǔ lǐ de yī zhǒng jì shù.

Keying is a technique in image processing.

在预算上抠得太死会影响项目质量。

zài yù suàn shàng kōu de tài sǐ huì yǐng xiǎng xiàng mù zhì liàng.

Being too stingy with the budget can affect project quality.

Related Characters

Component: 区

Component: 扌

抠