恶 meaning and stroke order
Evil; fierce; vicious
How to write 恶, stroke by stroke
10 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 恶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- evil
- fierce
- vicious
- ugly
- coarse
- to harm
- to hate
- to loathe
- ashamed
- to fear
- to slander
- used in 惡心|恶心[e3 xin1]
How 恶 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 亚 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 恶
恶 is built from 亚 (yà) on top, which gives the sound, and 心 (xīn, heart) below, which gives the meaning. Picture a heart weighed down by something bad, a heart that has turned evil or feels disgust.
As è it means bad or evil and appears in words like 罪恶 (zuì'è, crime; evil), 恶劣 (èliè, nasty), and 恶化 (èhuà, to worsen). In everyday speech you will hear 恶心 (ěxin) for feeling sick or grossed out, for example 这个味道让我恶心。(Zhège wèidào ràng wǒ ěxin.) This smell makes me feel sick.
Common mistake: Learners often read every 恶 as è, but 可恶 is kěwù and 恶心 is ěxin. Also, do not confuse the top part 亚 with 业 (yè). 亚 has a closed shape with an extra horizontal line framing it.
Common words with 恶
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 恶心 | ěxin | nausea; to feel sick | HSK 4 |
| 罪恶 | zuì'è | crime; evil | HSK 6 |
| 可恶 | kěwù | repulsive; vile | HSK 7-9 |
| 邪恶 | xié'è | sinister; vicious | HSK 7-9 |
| 恶劣 | èliè | vile; nasty | HSK 7-9 |
| 恶意 | èyì | malice; evil intention | HSK 7-9 |
| 恶化 | èhuà | to worsen | HSK 7-9 |
| 凶恶 | xiōng'è | fierce; vicious | HSK 7-9 |
| 丑恶 | chǒu'è | ugly; repulsive | HSK 7-9 |
| 恶性 | èxìng | malignant; wicked | HSK 7-9 |
| 无恶不作 | wú'è-bùzuò | not to shrink from any crime (idiom); to commit any imaginable misdeed | HSK 7-9 |
| 恶魔 | èmó | demon; fiend | |
| 恶梦 | èmèng | nightmare | |
| 恶作剧 | èzuòjù | practical joke; prank |
恶 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 恶
How many strokes are in 恶?
恶 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 恶 mean?
恶 (è) means evil; fierce; vicious. A common word with it is 恶心 (ěxin), meaning "nausea; to feel sick".
How do you pronounce 恶?
恶 is pronounced è, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 恶?
The radical of 恶 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 恶 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 恶?
The traditional form of 恶 is 惡. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 恶 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 恶 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 恶 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
How do I know which pronunciation of 恶 to use?
Use è for the adjective meaning evil or bad, as in 恶意 (èyì). Use wù when it means to hate or loathe, as in 可恶 (kěwù). Use ě only in 恶心 (ěxin).
Can 恶心 be used for things that are not food or smells?
Yes. People say 恶心 about behavior or people they find disgusting, for example 他说的话真恶心 (tā shuō de huà zhēn ěxin), what he said was really gross.