The character 吓 — “frighten”: how to write it and what it means

吓
xià

frighten, scare

6 strokes · HSK 6 · word page

The Chinese character 吓 is read xià and means “frighten, scare”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 吓

吓 has 6 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 吓, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 吓 is made of

On the left, 口 “mouth”; on the right, 下 xià hints at the reading.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 吓?

吓 has 6 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 吓 mean?

吓 means “frighten, scare”.

How do you pronounce 吓?

吓 is read xià. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 吓 have?

6 strokes.

← 豪 outstanding惧 fear →

More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 吓 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

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