忽 meaning and stroke order
Suddenly, abruptly; to neglect
How to write 忽, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
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- 8
Meaning of 忽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to neglect
- to overlook
- to ignore
- suddenly
How 忽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 勿 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 忽
忽 is 勿 (wù) on top of 心 (xīn, heart). 勿 gives the sound, and 心 shows the meaning is about the mind: when your heart is not paying attention, you overlook things, and things seem to happen suddenly.
In daily speech 忽 mostly appears in words like 忽然 (hūrán, suddenly) and 忽视 (hūshì, to ignore). 忽然 usually goes before the verb. 他忽然笑了。(Tā hūrán xiào le.) He suddenly laughed.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 忽 with 勿 (wù, do not) or 匆 (cōng, hurried), which look similar. Remember that 忽 has 心 at the bottom. In 疏忽 (shūhu), 忽 is read in the neutral tone, so it is not stressed.
Common words with 忽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 忽然 | hūrán | suddenly; all of a sudden | HSK 2 |
| 忽视 | hūshì | to neglect; to overlook; to disregard; to ignore | HSK 4 |
| 忽略 | hūlüè | to neglect; to overlook; to ignore | HSK 6 |
| 疏忽 | shūhu | to neglect; to overlook | HSK 7-9 |
| 忽悠 | hūyou | to rock; to sway | HSK 7-9 |
| 忽高忽低 | hūgāo-hūdī | alternately soaring and plunging | HSK 7-9 |
| 飘忽不定 | piāohūbùdìng | to drift without a resting place (idiom); roving | |
| 玩忽职守 | wánhūzhíshǒu | to neglect one's duty; dereliction of duty |
忽 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 忽
Learning 忽 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 忽
How many strokes are in 忽?
忽 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 忽 mean?
忽 (hū) means suddenly, abruptly; to neglect. A common word with it is 忽然 (hūrán), meaning "suddenly; all of a sudden".
How do you pronounce 忽?
忽 is pronounced hū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 忽?
The radical of 忽 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 忽 under this radical.
Is 忽 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 忽 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 忽然 and 突然?
Both mean suddenly. 忽然 is only an adverb, so it goes before a verb. 突然 can also be an adjective, as in 很突然 (hěn tūrán, very sudden), and 忽然 cannot be used that way.
What does 忽悠 mean in modern slang?
The dictionary meaning of 忽悠 (hūyou) is to rock or sway. In casual modern speech people also use it to mean to trick someone or talk them into something with smooth words. It is informal, so avoid it in serious writing.