The character 害 — “harm”: how to write it and what it means
harm; to harm
The Chinese character 害 is read hài and means “harm; to harm”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 害
害 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 害, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 害 is made of
On top, 宀 “roof”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 害
- 害怕be afraid, fearHSK 3
- 害羞be shy; shyHSK 4
- 厉害strong, awesome; terriblyHSK 4
- 伤害harm, hurtHSK 5
- 危害harm; endangerHSK 5
- 损害harm, damageHSK 5
- 有害harmfulHSK 5
- 灾害natural disasterHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 害?
害 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 害 mean?
害 means “harm; to harm”. It appears in 害怕 (“be afraid”), 害羞 (“be shy”), 厉害 (“strong”), 伤害 (“harm”).
How do you pronounce 害?
害 is read hài. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 害 have?
10 strokes.
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 害 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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