How to Write 诃 (hē) — Meaning “To scold / To berate”

Imagine a person saying "He!" (like hē) in an angry voice to scold someone. The left side 讠 looks like a speech bubble, and the right side 可 can be thought of as "can" – so you "can" scold with words. Picture someone shouting "He!" to rebuke another person.

The radical 讠on the left has two strokes: a dot and a shorter horizontal-to-vertical hook stroke. The right part 可 has five strokes: a horizontal, then the mouth box (竖,横折,横), and finally a vertical hook. Make sure the left speech radical is slightly narrower and sits higher than the right component.

诃 (hē) means "to scold" and uses the phonetic 可. 讦 (jié) means "to expose someone's secrets" and uses 干 (gàn). 讧 (hòng) means "to quarrel" and uses 工 (gōng). Visually, the right sides differ: 可 (with a mouth box) vs. 干 (simple stem) vs. 工 (a work shape). Each has a distinct pronunciation and nuance in conflict.

诃 appears in formal or literary expressions like 诃斥 (to rebuke harshly) and 诃责 (to reprimand). It is not commonly used in everyday conversation, but you may find it in classical texts or serious writing. The word 摩诃 is a Buddhist term (from Sanskrit mahā) meaning "great," so this character also appears in religious contexts.

Common words containing 诃 include: 诃斥 (hē chì) — To berate / To rebuke; 诃责 (hē zé) — To reprimand / To scold; 摩诃 (mó hē) — Maha (great).