痒 (yǎng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

痒

yǎng[yang3]Tone 3

to itch

HSK 7

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癢

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to itch

Cached lesson

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Topology:semi-enclosure (left-right / enclosing structure)

Strokes:12

Writing Balance Rule: The enclosing sickness radical (疒) wraps around the top left, while the right side (养) must remain balanced and not overflow too far down below the radical's base.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 癢 uses the exact same radical and phonetic component; the simplification is minimal or identical in standard practice.

1. Meaning

to itch

to tickleto have an urge or craving for something

Verb / AdjectiveNeutral#physical sensation#body#emotions

Sample Usage

我的背很痒。
Wǒ de bèi hěn yǎng.
My back itches a lot.
身上痒得难受。
Shēnshang yǎng de nánshòu.
It is uncomfortably itchy all over the body.

2. Sound

/[jaŋ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

痒

yǎngyang3

ˇ(214)

=yǎng

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

yang

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Glide (y)

Sounds like: Glide (y)

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Acts as a bridge into 'i' or 'ü' vowel sounds.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue blade rises toward the hard palate for the initial glide, then flattens for the vowel.

Final Rhyme

ang

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: -ang rhymes with 'ong' in song but with an open 'ah' vowel ('ahng')

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahng'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 starts mid-high, dips down low in the chest, and rises back up, matching the tone of hesitant English questions like 'Really?'

Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, it changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35).

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the low dipping tone 3 with tone 4, or missing the nasal ending [-ng] and hearing it as a pure vowel.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 3 dips low and rises slightly at the end, like tracing a 'V' shape in the air or nodding your head down and up.

3. Writing

Topology: semi-enclosure (left-right / enclosing structure) · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The enclosing sickness radical (疒) wraps around the top left, while the right side (养) must remain balanced and not overflow too far down below the radical's base.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 癢 uses the exact same radical and phonetic component; the simplification is minimal or identical in standard practice.

4. Components

Radical 疒 · Sickness Radical (Illness, disease, physical conditions)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 疒 (Indicates a physical bodily sensation or ailment)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 养 (original sound: yǎng)

A physical condition (疒) that makes you want to raise or nourish (养) the urge to scratch.

疒 Sickness or bodily condition
养 To raise, nourish, or feed (provides the sound yǎng)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

25· Phonetic Root: 羊 (yáng)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the sickness/disease signifier (疒) and the phonetic 'to raise/feed' (养), reflecting a bodily irritation that grows and needs attention.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to skin ailments and physical itchiness, later extended to metaphorical urges (e.g. hands itching to do something, heart itching with curiosity).

The sickness radical is shared by many characters relating to pain, illness, and bodily discomfort.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ヨウ (yō) / Kun: かゆい (kayui)

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You catch a **sickness (疒)** where you keep trying to **raise (养)** tiny bugs under your skin, making you intensely **itch (yǎng)** all over!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

羊

yángsheep; goatPhonetic Core (声旁)

样

yàngmanner, pattern, shape, kind+ 木 (tree)

养

yǎngto raise, bring up, support+ 儿 (legs)

鲜

xiǎnvariant of 鮮|鲜[xian3]+ 鱼 (fish)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

样(yàng)

样 has the wooden tree radical (木) meaning style/appearance, whereas 痒 has the sickness radical (疒) because an itch is an uncomfortable bodily condition.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我的蚊子咬了以后特别[___]。

Clue: yǎng

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 痒 (itchy) with 样 (appearance/style) due to their identical right-hand phonetic component.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 痒 mean, and what is its primary radical?

Production: How do you write 'to itch' (yǎng) using the sickness radical and the phonetic component for raising/nourishing?

痒yǎngto itch

Speed:

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