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The traditional form is 誇. Historically, 夸 existed as a separate character meaning "large" or "to boast", formed from 大 (dà, big) over 亏 (kuī, breath or lack), suggesting someone speaking big words. 誇 is a phono-semantic compound: the semantic radical 言 (yán, speech) indicates talking, while 夸 (kuā) provides the phonetic element. The core meaning involves exaggeration or boasting. In the modern simplified form, 夸 alone absorbs this entire function, drawing on the idea of a grand, exaggerated display.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
妈妈夸奖了我。
老师夸他作业写得好。
大家都夸赞这个新设计。
她谦虚地说不值得夸。
他总是夸大自己的成就。
别把事情夸大了，要实事求是。
这份报告的内容有点夸张。
过分夸张的广告容易引起消费者的反感。