夸 (kuā) is a Chinese character meaning “to praise”. It is written from 大 (big) and 亏 (loss; deficit), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to praise; to boast”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
大 + 亏
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：夸，奢也。从大亏聲
Memory aid
Something big (大) stacked on top of a shortfall (亏): talking big about what you don't actually have. That is bragging.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 夸奖kuā jiǎngto praise; to compliment夸 = kuā
- 夸大kuā dàto exaggerate; to overstate夸 = kuā
Go deeper
All readings
to praise; to boast
to praise; to compliment; to boast; to exaggerate
称赞；也指说话超过实际情况，自我吹嘘。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 夸奖kuā jiǎngto praise; to compliment夸 = kuā
- 夸大kuā dàto exaggerate; to overstate夸 = kuā
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 夸 mean?
夸 (kuā) means to praise; to compliment; to boast; to exaggerate.
How do you pronounce 夸?
It is pronounced kuā.
What parts is 夸 made of?
大 (big) and 亏 (loss; deficit), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：夸，奢也。从大亏聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 夸 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 夸?
大. 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 夸?
Common ones are 夸奖 and 夸大. The reading of 夸 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.