How to Write 咤 (zhà) — Meaning “to shout; to scold”

Imagine someone standing inside a house (宅) and shouting angrily through an open mouth (口). The sound of the shout is like "ZHA!" This mental picture can help you associate the components with the meaning of yelling or scolding.

The left side 口 should be small and placed high, while the right side 宅 has a top radical 宀 (roof) that must cover the 乇 (tuō). A common mistake is making the 口 too large, which throws off the balance. Also, do not forget the small stroke inside 乇.

咤 (zhà) has 口 on the left and focuses on loud shouting. 君 (jūn) means "lord" or "monarch" and has 口 on top of 尹, with no shouting meaning. 吝 (lìn) means "stingy" and is formed with 文 above 口, so it is visually different and unrelated to sound.

咤 is rarely used alone today; it appears mostly in the classical word 叱咤 (chì zhà, to command or shake the world) such as the idiom 叱咤风云 (chì zhà fēng yún, to ride the whirlwind). It also appears in 咤异 (zhà yì) meaning "to be amazed" and 咤叹 (zhà tàn) meaning "to sigh in wonder." These expressions are more literary than everyday speech.

Common words containing 咤 include: 叱咤 (chì zhà) — to command, to shake; 咤异 (zhà yì) — to be amazed; to be surprised; 咤叹 (zhà tàn) — to sigh in surprise or wonder.