How to Write 哮 (xiāo) — Meaning “To roar / To wheeze”

Imagine a child (子) being scolded by an elder (耂) and roaring loudly with their mouth (口) in anger. The right side 孝 looks like an elder (耂) over a child (子), and adding the mouth on the left creates a scene of a loud, wheezing roar. This visual story helps you link the shape to the meaning.

The character 哮 has 10 strokes, and the most common mistake is writing the right side 孝 incorrectly — make sure the top part 耂 has a short horizontal stroke above a longer horizontal, and the bottom 子 is centered below it. Also, keep the left mouth radical (口) small and high, not too big, so the overall character stays balanced.

While all three use the mouth radical, 呢 (ne) is a modal particle often used in questions or for emphasis, like '呢?' meaning 'where is it?'. 呣 (ḿ or m̀) is an interjection expressing thinking or agreement, like 'mm-hmm'. In contrast, 哮 (xiāo) is a verb meaning to roar or wheeze, used in words like 哮喘 (asthma) and 咆哮 (to roar).

哮 appears mainly in formal or medical contexts: 哮喘 (xiāo chuǎn) means asthma, a respiratory condition causing wheezing, and 咆哮 (páo xiāo) means to roar, often used for animals or angry people. It is not a common daily character, but you may see it in health articles or dramatic descriptions of thunder or shouting.

Common words containing 哮 include: 哮喘 (xiāo chuǎn) — Asthma; 咆哮 (páo xiāo) — to roar; to thunder; 哮 (xiāo) — To roar / To wheeze.