踝 (huái): ankle

Measure Word

一个踝关节 gè

Meanings

1 ankle
2 ankle bone

Characters

踝

huái

ankle; ankle bone

Examples

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.

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.

Tips

memory

踝 has the foot radical 足 (足字旁) on the left — it is the bony protrusion where the leg meets the foot. The full compound 脚踝 (jiǎohuái) 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 (here phonetic)

Right 果 supplies the sound: guǒ → huái through historical sound shift. 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 fruit-like swelling at the joint. Pure phonetic role primarily.