The character 恶 — “evil”: how to write it and what it means

恶
è

evil, nasty

10 strokes · HSK 6

The Chinese character 恶 is read è and means “evil, nasty”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 恶

恶 has 10 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 恶, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 恶 is made of

Below, 心 “heart”; on top, 亚. In 恶心 “feel nauseous” it is read ě.

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

Words with 恶

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 恶?

恶 has 10 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 恶 mean?

恶 means “evil, nasty”. It appears in 恶心 (“feel nauseous”), 恶劣 (“bad”).

How do you pronounce 恶?

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

How many strokes does 恶 have?

10 strokes.

← 症 illness吐 spit out →

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 恶 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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