(kōu) - to dig out & to scrape

Tone 1

kōu | 14 strokes | radical:

· kōu

to dig out;

to scrape;

to be stingy;

to be miserly;

to be nitpicky;

to be petty

to dig outto scrapeto be stingy

Usage highlights

stingyto dig outto nitpickto scrape offto pick atto be petty about money

Synonyms

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He dug out the dirt from his nails (抠指甲).
  • Don't be so stingy with money (抠门).
  • She is very nitpicky about details (抠细节).
  • He scraped the label off the bottle (抠掉标签).

Collocations

  • stingy(抠门)
  • to dig out(抠出来)
  • to nitpick(抠字眼)
  • to scrape off(抠掉)
  • to pick at(抠鼻子)
  • to be petty about money(抠钱)

Idioms

  • Stingy and petty(抠抠搜搜)
  • To nitpick over words(抠字眼)
  • To be miserly to the extreme(死抠)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character often carries a negative connotation when describing personality traits, implying pettiness or excessive frugality.
  • In some contexts, it can simply describe the physical action of digging or scraping without negative judgment.
  • The term 抠门 is a common colloquial expression for describing someone who is stingy with money.

FAQ