How to Write 悚 (sǒng) — Meaning “terrified”

Imagine a heart (忄) being squeezed by a bundle of sticks (束), making you feel terrified. The image of your heart bound up in fear can help recall the character's meaning. Think of 'sǒng' as the sound of shivering in fear.

Pay attention to the right side 束: it has a horizontal stroke across the top, then a vertical stroke through the middle, not a separate 木 or 未. Make sure the radical 忄 is written as two dots on the left, with the vertical stroke extending down. Common mistakes include writing the right side as 朿 instead of 束.

悚 means 'terrified' and is used in words like 惊悚 (thriller), while 怊 (chāo) means 'sad' or 'dispirited' and is rare in modern Chinese. 怍 (zuò) means 'ashamed' or 'to blush,' as in 惭怍. Visually, 悚 has the right component 束, while 怊 has 召 and 怍 has 乍.

It appears in the word 惊悚 (jīng sǒng), which describes a thriller genre like movies or books that cause fear and suspense. Another common phrase is 毛骨悚然 (máo gǔ sǒng rán), meaning 'hair-raising' or 'blood-curdling,' used when something is extremely scary. It is a literary or formal word, not used in everyday casual conversation.

Common words containing 悚 include: 惊悚 (jīng sǒng) — Thriller; 毛骨悚然 (máo gǔ sǒng rán) — Hair-raising; blood-curdling; 悚惧 (sǒng jù) — fear.