疚 (jiù) is a Chinese character meaning “a guilty conscience”. It is written from 疒 (sickness radical (a person lying on a bed)) and 久 (long time), one enclosing the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “remorse; guilty conscience”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
疒 + 久
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：8 = 疒 5 + 久 3）
Memory aid
Under the sickness frame 疒 sits 久 "a long time": an ache that will not leave you — the guilt you keep carrying. 久 also hands you the sound, jiǔ → jiù.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 内疚nèi jiùto feel guilty; guilty conscience疚 = jiù
- 愧疚kuì jiùashamed and remorseful; conscience-stricken疚 = jiù
Go deeper
All readings
remorse; guilty conscience
a guilty conscience; remorse; (literary) a lingering illness
因为自己的过失而长久感到痛苦不安；书面语中也指久治不愈的病。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 内疚nèi jiùto feel guilty; guilty conscience疚 = jiù
- 愧疚kuì jiùashamed and remorseful; conscience-stricken疚 = jiù
Sound component
久 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 疚 mean?
疚 (jiù) means a guilty conscience; remorse; (literary) a lingering illness.
How do you pronounce 疚?
It is pronounced jiù.
What parts is 疚 made of?
疒 (sickness radical (a person lying on a bed)) and 久 (long time), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：8 = 疒 5 + 久 3）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 疚 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 疚?
疒. 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 疚?
Common ones are 内疚 and 愧疚. The reading of 疚 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.