Writing
笨拙 (bèn zhuō) — how to say "clumsy" in Chinese
笨拙
Clumsy, awkward
adjective
Character composition
笨
stupid, foolish
拙
clumsy, unskilled
Radicals / Keys
手
Hand
#64 · shǒu · 4 strokes
竹
Bamboo
#118 · zhú · 6 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
动作笨拙
dòng zuò bèn zhuō
clumsy movements
笨拙的表演
bèn zhuō de biǎo yǎn
clumsy performance
显得笨拙
xiǎn de bèn zhuō
appear clumsy
Examples
他笨拙地拿着那个大箱子，差点摔倒。
He clumsily carried that big box and almost fell.
他动作很笨拙。
His movements are very clumsy.
Frequently asked questions
Clumsy meaning in Mandarin
"clumsy" in Chinese is 笨拙 (bèn zhuō).
笨拙 meaning in English
笨拙 (bèn zhuō) means "Clumsy, awkward".
How is 笨拙 pronounced?
It is pronounced bèn zhuō (written as ben zhuo, benzhuo). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "clumsy" in Chinese characters?
It is written 笨拙: 笨 has 11 strokes, 拙 has 8 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 笨拙?
笨拙 belongs to the HSK 6 vocabulary list.
Tomyo
Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition
Add 笨拙 to your vocabulary and remember it with smart reviews, audio and examples.