唆 (suō) is a Chinese character meaning “to instigate”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 夋 (qūn — the sound part shared by 俊, 峻, 竣; itself 允 over 夊), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to instigate”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 夋
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰口夋，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（口=笔画0–2，夋=笔画3–9）；构形理据未核实，留空
Memory aid
A mouth (口) keeps talking next to 夋 — words whispered to push someone into doing something wrong. That is 唆: to egg someone on.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 唆使suō shǐto instigate; to incite唆 = suō
- 教唆jiào suōto instigate; to abet唆 = suō
- 啰唆luō suōlong-winded; wordy; overly fussy唆 = suōspoken asluō suo
Go deeper
All readings
to instigate
to instigate; to incite; to abet (someone to do wrong)
挑动、指使别人去做（坏事）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 唆使suō shǐto instigate; to incite唆 = suō
- 教唆jiào suōto instigate; to abet唆 = suō
- 啰唆luō suōlong-winded; wordy; overly fussy唆 = suōspoken asluō suo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 唆 mean?
唆 (suō) means to instigate; to incite; to abet (someone to do wrong).
How do you pronounce 唆?
It is pronounced suō.
What parts is 唆 made of?
口 (mouth) and 夋 (qūn — the sound part shared by 俊, 峻, 竣; itself 允 over 夊), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰口夋，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（口=笔画0–2，夋=笔画3–9）；构形理据未核实，留空. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 唆 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 唆?
口. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 唆?
Common ones are 唆使 and 教唆. The reading of 唆 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.