How to Write 损 (sǔn) — Meaning “Damage / Harm / Mean”

Imagine a hand (扌) hitting a person (员) — that action causes damage or loss. This visual of a hand striking a member helps you remember that 损 means "damage" or "harm."

Write the left hand radical slightly narrower, and the right part 员 slightly wider for balance. The stroke order is: 扌 (horizontal, vertical hook, lift), then 口 (three strokes), then 贝 (four strokes). A common mistake is making the right part too small or the hand radical too big.

The character 抨 (pēng) uses 平 on the right and means to verbally attack or criticize, while 损 uses 员 and focuses on physical harm or loss. The rare character 㧜 is not commonly used and has a different meaning; in contrast, 损 is a common HSK 5 word for damage, loss, or being mean.

You often see 损 in words like 损坏 (damage), 损失 (loss), and 损人 (harm others). In everyday conversation, 损 can also mean "to be mean or sarcastic," as in 你太损了 (You are so mean). This usage is informal but very common among native speakers.

Common words containing 损 include: 损坏 (sǔn huài) — Damage / Break; 损失 (sǔn shī) — Loss / Lose; 损人 (sǔn rén) — Harm others / Be mean to people.