How to Write 噩 (è) — Meaning “shocking or bad”

Imagine four open mouths (口) all screaming "EH!" (the sound of è) because you just heard shocking news. This visual of four mouths crying together helps link the shape to the meaning of nightmare or bad news.

The character is very symmetrical and has 16 strokes. A common mistake is making the four inner 口 unequal in size or misaligned—keep them small and evenly spaced. Also remember to write a long horizontal stroke across the top before adding the inner mouths.

噩 has four 口 mouths inside a square, while 㕡 (rare) has a 穴 (cave) component on top instead. 嗽 (sòu, cough) has a 口 on the left and 欠 (yawn) on the right, so it looks completely different. Their meanings are also unrelated.

噩 is never used alone; it appears in formal, often serious words like 噩梦 (nightmare) and 噩耗 (news of a death). Culturally, 噩耗 is a respectful way to announce someone's passing, and 噩梦 is used for frightening dreams.

Common words containing 噩 include: 噩梦 (è mèng) — nightmare; 噩耗 (è hào) — bad news (usually of a death); 噩运 (è yùn) — misfortune.