噩 meaning and stroke order
Bad, ill-omened, unlucky
How to write 噩, stroke by stroke
16 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 噩
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- startling
How 噩 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A jade statue 王 with four holes made in it 口.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 噩
Picture a jade statue 王 with four holes 口 punched into it. A precious piece ruined like that feels like a bad omen, which is the meaning of 噩 (è).
噩 rarely appears alone. It shows up in fixed words about bad things, mainly 噩梦 (èmèng, nightmare) and 噩耗 (èhào, news of someone's death). Example: 我昨晚做了一个噩梦。(Wǒ zuó wǎn zuò le yí gè èmèng.) I had a nightmare last night.
Common mistake: Learners often write 恶梦 instead of 噩梦 because 恶 (è, evil) has the same sound. 噩梦 is the standard form for nightmare, so use 噩 with the four 口 around 王.
Common words with 噩
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 噩梦 | èmèng | nightmare | |
| 噩耗 | èhào | news of sb's death; sad news |
噩 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 噩
Learning 噩 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 噩
How many strokes are in 噩?
噩 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 噩 mean?
噩 (è) means bad, ill-omened, unlucky. A common word with it is 噩梦 (èmèng), meaning "nightmare".
How do you pronounce 噩?
噩 is pronounced è, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 噩?
The radical of 噩 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 噩 under this radical.
What verb goes with 噩梦 in Chinese?
Use 做 (zuò), as in 做噩梦 (zuò èmèng), to have a nightmare. You do not use 有 or 看 for dreams.
How do you use 噩耗 in a sentence?
噩耗 usually follows verbs like 传来 (chuánlái, to arrive) or 听到 (tīngdào, to hear). For example, 噩耗传来 (èhào chuánlái) means the sad news came. It is a serious, somewhat formal word.