How to Write 砉 (huò) — Meaning “sound of cutting or whistling”

Imagine a stone (石) suddenly making a 'whoosh' sound as it splits in half, revealing an abundant (丰) crack inside. The shape of 丰 also looks like two parallel cuts, reminding you of the sound of a quick cut or whistle.

Write the top radical 石 first (horizontal, left-slant, right-slant, then a square with a horizontal line), then the bottom 丰 (three horizontal lines and a vertical line through all three). A common mistake is misaligning the vertical stroke of 丰 so it does not cross all three horizontals evenly; make sure it extends straight down through the center.

砉 focuses on sound (a whistling or cutting noise), whereas 矶 (jī) means a rock or jetty, and 矸 (gān) refers to waste rock or gangue in mining. Visually, 砉 has the radical on top and 丰 below, while 矶 has 石 on the left and 几 on the right, and 矸 has 石 on the left and 干 on the right.

砉 is rare and mostly appears in literary or descriptive phrases like 砉然 (huò rán) to describe a sudden cracking or whistling sound, or 砉的一声 for a 'whoosh' effect. It is not in everyday vocabulary but can be found in classical texts or poetic descriptions of swift actions, such as a sword cutting through air.

Common words containing 砉 include: 砉然 (huò rán) — with a sudden whistling or cracking sound; 砉的一声 (huò de yī shēng) — with a 'whoosh' or 'crack' sound; 砉划 (huò huà) — sound of a quick stroke or cut.