How to Write 冱 (hù) — Meaning “to freeze; frozen”

Imagine that when it is extremely cold, the ice (冫) spreads everywhere, and everything becomes stuck together mutually (互) — that is 冱, meaning frozen solid. Picture two hands frozen together to remember the 'mutual' part.

Write the radical 冫 first as two strokes: a dot and a short diagonal; then write 互 with four strokes: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical. A common mistake is making the left radical too large — keep it narrow, and do not confuse the right part 互 with 五 (five), which has a different middle shape.

冱 (hù) means 'frozen solid' or 'to freeze,' while 冰 (bīng) is the general word for 'ice' or 'icy cold.' 冯 (píng) has the same ice radical but contains 马 (horse) and means 'to gallop' or is a surname — it has no connection to freezing. Visually, 冱 uses 互, 冰 uses 水 (water), and 冯 uses 马.

冱 is a rare, literary character not found in everyday speech; it appears mainly in classical poetry or formal writing to describe extreme cold, such as in the word 冱寒 (hù hán, 'freezing cold'). You might encounter it in weather descriptions in ancient texts or modern poetic language about bitter winter.

Common words containing 冱 include: 冱寒 (hù hán) — freezing cold; 冻冱 (dòng hù) — frozen solid; 冱结 (hù jié) — to freeze together; to congeal.