Dictionary › 丑

丑

chǒu

Old HSK 5 HSK 3.0 character level 5 Character

丑 (chǒu) means "ugly". It is an HSK 3.0 level 5 word, and was HSK 5 in the old six-level list.

What 丑 means

1. clown
2. 2nd earthly branch: 1-3 a.m., 12th solar month (6th January to 3rd February), year of the Ox
3. ancient Chinese compass point: 30°

Other readings

丑 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• chǒushameful; ugly; disgraceful
• Chǒusurname Chou

Example sentences

• 真是个丑闻！
  What a scandal!
• 这把椅子很丑。
  This chair is ugly.
• 小丑做了个鬼脸。
  Xiǎochǒu zuò le ge guǐliǎn.
  The clown made a funny face.
• 一个丑男人敲了我的门。
  Yī gè chǒu nánrén qiāo le wǒ de mén.
  An ugly man knocked on my door.
• 这是一件全国性的丑闻。
  Zhè shì yī jiàn quánguóxìng de chǒuwén.
  It was a national scandal.
• 汤姆在玛莉面前出丑了。
  Tom made a fool of himself in front of Mary.

Words starting with 丑

• 丑恶chǒu èugly; repulsive
• 丑陋chǒu lòuugly
• 丑闻chǒu wénscandal
• 丑小鸭chǒu xiǎo yā(fig.) ugly duckling
• 丑化chǒu huàto defame; to libel; to defile
• 丑事chǒu shìscandal
• 丑角chǒu juéclown role in opera; clown; buffoon
• 丑八怪chǒu bā guàiugly person
• 丑时chǒu shí1-3 am (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times)
• 丑牛chǒu niúYear 2, year of the Bull or Ox (e.g. 2009)
• 丑剧chǒu jùabsurd drama; farce; disgraceful show
• 丑国Chǒu guó(slang) United States; USA; US
• 丑怪chǒu guàigrotesque
• 丑态chǒu tàishameful performance; disgraceful situation
• 丑相chǒu xiàngugly expression; unsightly manners
• 丑行chǒu xíngscandal
• 丑话chǒu huàugly talk; vulgarity; obscenity
• 丑类chǒu lèivillain; evil person
• 丑人多作怪chǒu rén duō zuò guài(saying) unattractive or untalented people tend to make spectacles of themselves
• 丑话说在前头chǒu huà shuō zài qián toulet's talk about the unpleasant things first; let's be frank
• 丑鸭chǒu yā(bird species of China) harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)
• 丑诋chǒu dǐto slander
• 丑妻近地家中宝chǒu qī jìn dì jiā zhōng bǎoan ugly wife is a treasure at home (idiom)
• 丑媳妇早晚要见公婆chǒu xí fù zǎo wǎn yào jiàn gōng pó(lit.) the ugly daughter-in-law must sooner or later meet her parents-in-law (proverb)…

Words containing 丑

• 小丑xiǎo chǒuclown
• 出丑chū chǒuto make a fool of oneself
• 家丑jiā chǒufamily scandal; skeleton in the closet
• 丁丑dīng chǒufourteenth year D2 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 1997 or 2057
• 丢丑diū chǒuto lose face
• 乙丑yǐ chǒusecond year B2 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 1985 or 2045
• 奇丑qí chǒugrotesque; extremely ugly; hideous
• 子丑zǐ chǒufirst two of the twelve earthly branches 十二地支; by ext., the earthly branches
• 己丑jǐ chǒutwenty-sixth year F2 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 2009 or 2069
• 献丑xiàn chǒu(used self-deprecatingly, e.g. when asked to sing a song) to put one's artistic…
• 辛丑xīn chǒuthirty-eighth year H2 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 1961 or 2021…
• 露丑lòu chǒuto make a fool of oneself
• 小丑鱼xiǎo chǒu yúclownfish; anemonefish
• 奇丑无比qí chǒu wú bǐextremely ugly; incomparably hideous
• 跳梁小丑tiào liáng xiǎo chǒu(idiom) clownish troublemaker; contemptible buffoon
• 辛丑条约Xīn chǒu Tiáo yuēBoxer Protocol of 1901 signed in Beijing, ending the Eight-power Allied Force…
• 家丑不可外传jiā chǒu bù kě wài chuánlit. family shames must not be spread abroad (idiom)…
• 家丑不可外扬jiā chǒu bù kě wài yánglit. family shames must not be spread abroad (idiom)…
• 矮丑穷ǎi chǒu qióng(net slang) (of a man) unmarriageable (lit. short, ugly and poor); opposite: 高富帅
• 癸丑guǐ chǒufiftieth year J2 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 1973 or 2033
• 子丑寅卯zǐ chǒu yín mǎo(idiom) a full and coherent account of a matter; the complete facts of the case…
• 幺麽小丑yāo mó xiǎo chǒu(idiom) insignificant wretch
• 儿不嫌母丑，狗不嫌家贫ér bù xián mǔ chǒu , gǒu bù xián jiā pína son won't abandon his mother for being ugly, just as a dog won't abandon its owner for…
• 子不嫌母丑，狗不嫌家贫zǐ bù xián mǔ chǒu , gǒu bù xián jiā pínsee 兒不嫌母醜，儿不嫌母丑，狗不嫌家贫

Characters that look like 丑

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 日rì(bound form) sun; day; day of the month
• 兰lánorchid (兰花 Cymbidium goeringii); fragrant thoroughwort (兰草 Eupatorium fortunei)…
• 且qiěand; moreover; yet
• 互hùmutual
• 贝bèicowrie; shellfish; currency (archaic)
• 旦dàn(literary) dawn; daybreak; dan, female role in Chinese opera…

Sounds the same

Read chǒu, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 瞅(dialect) to look at
• 杻handcuffs
• 偢to stare at
• 吜(onomatopoeia)
• 杽a kind of wooden handcuffs
• 侴surname Chou
• 丒variant of 丑

Where 丑 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Personal Qualities & Character (HSK 5), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 5 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read chǒu correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.