愧

媿

kuì

忄 + 鬼

Definitions

kuì (adjective) ashamed; guilty; conscience-stricken

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 鬼 represents the sound. Simplified form of 媿.

Semantic: 忄 Phonetic: 鬼

About

愧 is a phono-semantic compound and the simplified form of 媿. The heart radical 忄 indicates the meaning is rooted in emotions and inner states, while 鬼 ('ghost' or 'spirit') supplies the sound. The character conveys a profound sense of shame, guilt, or embarrassment over one's own faults or misdeeds, an acute awareness of having fallen short morally or disappointed others, often felt as a heavy conscience and self-reproach.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我感到很愧疚。

Wǒ gǎndào hěn kuìjiù.

I feel very guilty.

他显得很惭愧。

Tā xiǎnde hěn cánkuì.

He looks very ashamed.

她对孩子感到愧疚。

Tā duì háizi gǎndào kuìjiù.

She feels guilty towards the child.

他愧疚地离开了房间。

Tā kuìjiù de líkāile fángjiān.

He left the room guiltily.

没有帮助朋友，他十分愧疚。

Méiyǒu bāngzhù péngyou, tā shífēn kuìjiù.

Not helping his friend, he felt very guilty.

在失败面前，他毫无愧疚之意。

Zài shībài miànqián, tā háo wú kuìjiù zhī yì.

In the face of failure, he had no sense of guilt.

他对于自己的疏忽深感愧疚。

Tā duìyú zìjǐ de shūhū shēn gǎn kuìjiù.

He deeply feels guilty for his negligence.

他因为说谎而愧疚不已。

Tā yīnwèi shuōhuǎng ér kuìjiù bùyǐ.

He feels extremely guilty because he lied.

Related Characters

Component: 忄

Component: 鬼

Example Words