Chinese word

歪

Pronunciation

Pinyinwāi

Meaning

  • adjectivecrooked

Example

这张画挂得歪了。zhè zhāng huà guà de wāi le

This picture is hanging crooked.

Illustration for 歪 (crooked)

More examples

他听了这话，嘴角微微歪了。tā tīng le zhè huà zuí jiǎo wēi wēi wāi le

After hearing this, the corner of his mouth became slightly crooked.

Core concept

Something that departs from a straight line or an aligned position and leans to one side.

Common phrases

  • 嘴角歪了zuí jiǎo wāi le

    crooked mouth corner

  • 歪着笑wāi zhe xiào

    smile crookedly

  • 窗帘挂得歪了chuāng lián guà de wāi le

    Curtain hanging crooked

Similar words

斜xié: Set at an angle instead of standing straight or lying level.
倾斜qīng xié: Leaning away from the horizontal or vertical line.
弯曲wān qū: Curved or bent from a straight line or flat shape.
扭曲niǔ qū: Strongly twisted out of its original shape or direction.

Definition in Chinese

形容物体不是直的，向一边偏斜或弯曲，也可指位置或角度不正。xíng róng wù tǐ bú shì zhí de xiàng yì biān piān xié huò wān qū yě kě zhǐ wèi zhì huò jiǎo dù bú zhèng

Word origin

The character combines 不 (bù, "not") + 正 (zhèng, "straight"), giving the basic idea of something that is not straight.

Usage tips

  • English crooked can describe dishonest behavior, but this everyday Chinese adjective normally describes a physical object or position that is out of line.

Other meanings

  • tiltedadjective
  • slantedadjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word