娇 (jiāo) is a Chinese character meaning “tender and lovely”. It is written from 女 (woman; female) and 乔 (tall; the sound part of 侨, 桥, 娇, 骄), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “delicate; pampered”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
女 + 乔
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（女3 + 乔6 = 9）+ 读音比对：乔 qiáo → 娇 jiāo（韵同、声母与声调不同）；繁体「嬌」为从女喬聲的形声字
Memory aid
A woman (女) standing tall (乔), showing off how delicate and charming she is — that is 娇, "delicate; pampered".
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 撒娇sā jiāoto act spoiled; to act coy to get attention娇 = jiāo
- 娇小jiāo xiǎopetite; small and delicate娇 = jiāo
Go deeper
All readings
delicate; pampered
tender and lovely; delicate, fragile; pampered or spoiled, as in 撒娇 (to act spoiled) and 娇小 (petite)
柔嫩美好；娇弱；过分爱护、宠爱，如「撒娇」「娇小」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 撒娇sā jiāoto act spoiled; to act coy to get attention娇 = jiāo
- 娇小jiāo xiǎopetite; small and delicate娇 = jiāo
Sound component
乔 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 娇 mean?
娇 (jiāo) means tender and lovely; delicate, fragile; pampered or spoiled, as in 撒娇 (to act spoiled) and 娇小 (petite).
How do you pronounce 娇?
It is pronounced jiāo.
What parts is 娇 made of?
女 (woman; female) and 乔 (tall; the sound part of 侨, 桥, 娇, 骄), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（女3 + 乔6 = 9）+ 读音比对：乔 qiáo → 娇 jiāo（韵同、声母与声调不同）；繁体「嬌」为从女喬聲的形声字. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 娇 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 娇?
女. 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 娇?
Common ones are 撒娇 and 娇小. The reading of 娇 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.