歪 (wāi) - Crooked, askew, slanted & not straight or upright

歪Tone 1

wāi ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

婷婉

歪 · wāi

Crooked, askew, slanted;

not straight or upright;

improper, deviant;

to tilt, to incline.

Crooked, askew, slantednot straight or uprightimproper, deviant

Usage highlights

CrookedCrooked ideasCrooked reasoningTilt one's headDistort the factsCrooked mouth and slanted eyes

Synonyms

  • 斜— Slanted, inclined
  • 偏— Deviated, biased

Antonyms

  • 正— Straight, upright, correct
  • 直— Straight, direct

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The picture frame is crooked (歪了).
  • He has crooked ideas (歪主意).
  • The tower leans to one side (歪斜的塔).
  • Don't twist the facts (别歪曲事实).

Collocations

  • Crooked(歪的)
  • Crooked ideas(歪主意)
  • Crooked reasoning(歪理)
  • Tilt one's head(歪头)
  • Distort the facts(歪曲事实)
  • Crooked mouth and slanted eyes(歪嘴斜眼)

Idioms

  • Crooked reasoning sounds plausible(歪理邪说)
  • Seven twists and eight turns(七歪八扭)
  • East tilts and west slants(东歪西倒)
  • Crooked mouth and slanted eyebrows(歪嘴斜眉)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character 歪 is a compound ideograph: 不 (not) + 正 (straight/upright) = not straight, crooked.
  • In Chinese culture, being 'straight' (正) is associated with righteousness and correctness, while 'crooked' (歪) implies impropriety.
  • Often used to describe both physical crookedness and moral deviation.

FAQ