踝 (huái) · ankle, ankle bone

Measure Word

一个踝关节 gè

Meanings

1 ankle
2 ankle bone

Characters

踝

huái

ankle; ankle bone

Examples

HSK 4

医生检查了他的脚踝，建议休息一周。

Yīshēng jiǎnchá le tā de jiǎohuái, jiànyì xiūxi yī zhōu.

The doctor examined his ankle and recommended a week of rest.

HSK 7-9

她在打球时扭伤了踝关节。

Tā zài dǎqiú shí niǔshāng le huái guānjié.

She sprained her ankle joint while playing ball.

Tips

memory

踝 has the foot radical 足 on the left - it is the bony protrusion where the leg meets the foot. The full compound 脚踝 is the most common way to say 'ankle'.

Components

radical

足 zú

foot

Left foot radical - the indexing radical. Pictograph of a foot with the calf above, knee bend visible. Anchors 踝 in the leg/foot anatomy family with 跟 heel, 趾 toe, 跑 run, 跳 jump. The ankle is the joint that links foot and leg, so the radical is anatomically precise.

phonetic

果 guǒ

fruit

Right 果 supplies the sound: guǒ shifts to huái through historical sound change. Same phonetic family: 裹 wrap, 课 lesson, 颗 measure-word-for-round-things. Faint semantic resonance with the round, knob-like shape of the ankle bone - a small swelling at the joint. Primarily a phonetic role.