How to Write 怒 (nù) — Meaning “anger; rage; angry”

Imagine a slave (奴) whose heart (心) is burning with anger — picture the bottom heart radical as a red, pulsing flame. Another trick: think "No (奴) heart (心) of peace" which sounds like 'nù' and reminds you that anger takes over your emotions. This links the sound, shape, and meaning together.

The top part 奴 must be balanced — write the left '女' first with three strokes (slant, slant, horizontal) and then add '又' (cross stroke, hook, press). The bottom '心' radical has four strokes: first a left dot, then a curving hook, then a top dot, and finally a right dot. A common mistake is making the '心' too wide or forgetting the left dot.

All three characters share the 'heart' radical (心), but their top parts differ: 奴 (slave) for 怒 (anger), 己 (self) for 忌 (jealousy/avoidance), and 刃 (blade) for 忍 (endurance/patience). Visually, 怒 has a more complex top with two components, while 忌 and 忍 are simpler. In meaning, 怒 is explosive anger, 忌 is a negative feeling toward someone, and 忍 is suppressing emotions.

怒 appears in formal or written contexts such as news reports, literature, and serious conversations, for example in words like 愤怒 (fèn nù, furious) and 发怒 (fā nù, to get angry). In Chinese culture, openly showing anger (怒) is often discouraged as it disrupts harmony, so the character carries a negative connotation. It is also used in idioms like 怒气冲天 (nù qì chōng tiān, anger soaring to the sky) to describe intense rage.

Common words containing 怒 include: 发怒 (fā nù) — To get angry; 愤怒 (fèn nù) — Anger; rage; furious.; 怒气 (nù qì) — anger; fury.