妖

yāo
#1,866 most
frequent character
goblin, witch, devil, bewitching

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

妖 joins 女, woman or female, with 夭 yāo as its sound part. It first meant gorgeous or lovely. The meaning then grew through seductive and witch to devil, demon, and weird or strange.

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Homophones

HSK 5
腰yāo
waist, lower back, pocket, middle
要yāo
(bound form) to demand, to coerce
邀yāo
to invite, to request, to intercept
约yāo
to weigh in a balance or on a scale

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