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How to Write 吓 (hè/xià) — Meaning “to scare; frighten”

hè/xià HSK Level 5 6 strokes Radical: 口

吓 (hè/xià) means "to scare; frighten" in Chinese. It has 6 strokes with the radical 口, and is HSK Level 5.

Rated 3.2/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 13% of HSK Level 5 characters.

Appears in 4+ common words including 吓人 (xià rén), 惊吓 (jīng xià), 恐吓 (kǒng hè).

Due to its 6 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 吓 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 吓 - hè/xià

Practice Writing 吓 (hè/xià)

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How to Write 吓

The character 吓 (hè/xià) is written with 6 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 口 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does hè/xià (吓) Mean in Chinese?

吓 means to scare; frighten.

This is a polyphonic character with readings: hè, xià.

As an HSK Level 5 character, 吓 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character吓
Pinyinhè / xià (he/xia)
Meaningto scare; frighten
Strokes6
Radical口
HSK Level5
Difficulty3.2/5

Origin of 吓

This simplified compound character combines the mouth radical (口) to indicate a sound or exclamation, and 下 (xià, meaning 'down') which provides a phonetic clue and visually suggests a shout that drives someone down in fear. Originally derived from the complex form 嚇 (with 赫, meaning 'red' or 'to scold'), the simplified version uses 下 while retaining the idea of a frightening sound.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a huge mouth (口) shouting 'HA!' and the single stroke below (下) shows the terrified person falling flat on the ground.

Common Words with 吓

吓人 xià rén
scary; frightening
惊吓 jīng xià
To frighten; to scare; a shock.
恐吓 kǒng hè
To threaten
恫吓 dòng hè
to intimidate

Example Sentences

突然跳出来的黑猫真是一脸吓人。

tū rán tiào chū lái de hēi māo zhēn shì yī liǎn xià rén

The black cat that suddenly jumped out really had a scary look.

这场突如其来的雷雨让小狗受了惊吓。

zhè chǎng tū rú qí lái de léi yǔ ràng xiǎo gǒu shòu le jīng xià

This sudden thunderstorm frightened the puppy.

对方试图通过恐吓来让他放弃诉讼。

duì fāng shì tú tōng guò kǒng hè lái ràng tā fàng qì sù sòng

The other party tried to make him drop the lawsuit through intimidation.

这种卑劣的恫吓手段无法动摇他的决心。

zhè zhǒng bēi liè de dòng hè shǒu duàn wú fǎ dòng yáo tā de jué xīn

These despicable intimidation tactics cannot shake his determination.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
吓 (current) hè / xià 6 口
卟 bǔ 5 口
古 gǔ 5 口
句 gōu / jù 5 口
Stroke order practice for 吓 - hè/xià

Practice Writing 吓 (hè/xià)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 吓 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 吓

吓 is made of the mouth radical 口 on the left and 下 (xià, meaning 'down') on the right. The mouth suggests a sound or shout, and combining it with 'down' implies making someone fall or feel low from fear. So the character creates the idea of scaring someone with a loud noise.

More HSK Level 5 Characters

慰wèi岸àn摩mó拔bá拜bài版bǎn扮bàn棒bàng怨yuàn悲bēi辈bèi鼻bí彼bǐ幕mù辑jí宾bīn饼bǐng毒dú玻bō璃lí

Characters with Radical 口

㕡hé卟bǔ口kǒu古gǔ句gōu/jù另lìng叨dāo/tāo叩kòu只zhī/zhǐ叫jiào

Other 6-Stroke Characters

㐆yǐn㓞qià丞chéng丢diū乑yín乒pīng乓pāng乔qiáo乩jī买mǎi