Definitions

kuā (verb) to boast; to exaggerate
kuā (verb) to praise

Etymology phono-semantic

great

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "夸" derives from an early sense of extravagance or excess, with its contemporary structure comprising "大" meaning big and "亏" acting as a phonetic component. Its traditional form, "誇", explicitly adds the "言" radical denoting speech to the basic "夸" framework, thereby specializing the character for verbal expression. Initially associated with physical largeness, the meaning of "夸" gradually extended to encompass the act of boasting or overstating, a semantic shift underscored by the speech-oriented construction of the traditional variant.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

妈妈奖了我。

Māma kuājiǎng le wǒ.

Mom praised me.

老师他作业写得好。

Lǎoshī kuā tā zuòyè xiě de hǎo.

The teacher praised him for doing his homework well.

大家都赞这个新设计。

Dàjiā dōu kuāzàn zhège xīn shèjì.

Everyone commended this new design.

她谦虚地说不值得

Tā qiānxū de shuō bù zhídé kuā.

She modestly said it wasn't worth praising.

他总是大自己的成就。

Tā zǒngshì kuādà zìjǐ de chéngjiù.

He always exaggerates his achievements.

别把事情大了,要实事求是。

Bié bǎ shìqing kuādà le, yào shí shì qiú shì.

Don't exaggerate the matter; be realistic.

这份报告的内容有点张。

Zhè fèn bàogào de nèiróng yǒudiǎn kuāzhāng.

The content of this report is a bit exaggerated.

过分张的广告容易引起消费者的反感。

Guòfèn kuāzhāng de guǎnggào róngyì yǐnqǐ xiāofèizhě de fǎngǎn.

Overly exaggerated advertisements easily arouse consumers'反感 (aversion).