唬 meaning and stroke order
To intimidate; to scare
How to write 唬, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 唬
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- a tiger's roar
- to scare
- to intimidate
- (coll.) to fool
- to bluff
How 唬 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 虎 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 唬
A mouth 口 next to a tiger 虎 (hǔ): picture a tiger opening its mouth to roar and scare you. The tiger also gives the sound, so 唬 is read hǔ just like 虎.
唬 usually appears in words, not on its own. The most common are 吓唬 (xiàhu, to scare) and 唬人 (hǔrén, to bluff or scare people). In casual speech it can mean to fool someone with a bluff: 别唬我。(Bié hǔ wǒ.) Don't try to fool me.
Common mistake: Learners often write 虎 alone and forget the 口 on the left. 虎 is the animal, and 唬 is the action of scaring or bluffing. Also note that in 吓唬 (xiàhu) the 唬 is usually said in the neutral tone, not a full third tone.
Common words with 唬
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 吓唬 | xiàhu | to scare; to frighten | HSK 7-9 |
| 唬人 | hǔrén | to scare people; to bluff |
唬 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 唬
How many strokes are in 唬?
唬 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 唬 mean?
唬 (hǔ) means to intimidate; to scare. A common word with it is 吓唬 (xiàhu), meaning "to scare; to frighten".
How do you pronounce 唬?
唬 is pronounced hǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 唬?
The radical of 唬 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 唬 under this radical.
Is 唬 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 唬 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 吓唬 and 吓?
吓 (xià) means to be frightened or to frighten, often suddenly, as in 吓了我一跳 (it gave me a fright). 吓唬 (xiàhu) means to scare someone on purpose, often with threats or just to tease them, as in 别吓唬孩子 (don't scare the child).
Does 唬人 always mean to frighten?
No. 唬人 can mean to scare people, but it often means to bluff or make something seem more impressive than it is. For example, 这个价格太唬人了 means the price looks shockingly high.