吓 (hè) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

吓

hè[he4]Tone 4

to scare, intimidate, or threaten

HSK 5

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嚇

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to scare, intimidate, or threaten

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:8

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (mouth radical) should be compact and placed slightly higher, leaving ample room for the right component (赤) to expand downward and outward.

Simplification Logic: Simplified from 嚇 by replacing the complex phonetic right component with a simpler structure or streamlined form in standard Chinese script.

1. Meaning

to scare or frighten

to intimidateto threateninterjection showing disapproval (tut-tut)interjection showing astonishment

VerbNeutral#emotion#actions#reaction

Sample Usage

别吓我！
bié hè wǒ!
Don't scare me!
他的样子把小孩吓哭了。
tā de yàngzi bǎ xiǎohái hè kū le.
His appearance scared the child to tears.

2. Sound

/[xɤ⁵¹]/Tone: 51

吓

hèhe4

`(51)

=hè

Initial Consonant

Type: Velar Fricative

Sounds like: h sound like in 'hat'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Gentle throat friction (like fogging glasses on a cold day).

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue approaches the soft palate with friction while air passes through.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -e rhymes with 'uh' or the schwa-like sound in 'but'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uh'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops abruptly, matching an emphatic English command like 'Stop!' or 'No!'.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the 4th tone (falling 51) with the 1st or 2nd tones, or mishearing the initial 'h' as 'f'.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A quick, sharp nod downward, like dropping an object from chest height straight to the floor.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (mouth radical) should be compact and placed slightly higher, leaving ample room for the right component (赤) to expand downward and outward.

Simplification Logic: Simplified from 嚇 by replacing the complex phonetic right component with a simpler structure or streamlined form in standard Chinese script.

4. Components

Radical 口 · Mouth radical (Mouth, speaking, shouting, or vocal sounds)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 口 (Indicates that the action involves using the mouth (shouting, making noise to scare someone).)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 赤 (original sound: chì / hè)

A person opens their mouth (口) wide, turning red (赤) with anger or shock to scare someone.

口 Mouth symbol indicating vocalization or speech
赤 Phonetic and visual hint suggesting a red, flushed face from yelling

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

3· Phonetic Root: 下 (xià)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the mouth radical (口) representing vocal sound or shouting, and a phonetic helper (赤) which historically contributed to the sound and imagery of flushed, startling expressions.

Semantic Evolution: Originally denoted making a sudden shouting sound to startle someone, which broadened to general scaring, intimidating, or threatening.

In Classical Chinese, it was also frequently used as an interjection to express surprise or disapproval.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: カク (kaku) / Kun: おどす (odosu)

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You open your mouth (口) wide and turn red like fire (赤) to SCARE (hè) the intruder away!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

赤

chìredWithout the mouth radical, it simply means the color red.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

赤(chì)

赤 is the color red; 吓 adds the mouth radical (口) because you use your voice or mouth to scare.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

别老是[___]小孩子。

Clue: hè

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone with the 1st tone (hē - to drink) or mistaking the right side component for unrelated characters due to its similarity to 赤.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 吓 mean, and what is its pronunciation with tone?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to scare / intimidate' (hè)?

吓hèto scare, intimidate, or threaten

Speed:

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