恿 meaning and stroke order
To instigate, to incite, to alarm
How to write 恿, 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 恿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 慫恿|怂恿[song3 yong3]
- old variant of 恿[yong3]
How 恿 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 甬 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 恿
恿 is pictophonetic: 甬 (yǒng) on top gives the sound, and 心 (xīn, heart) below gives the meaning. Picture someone stirring up your heart from above, pushing you to act.
恿 almost never appears alone. It lives in the word 怂恿 (sǒngyǒng), which means to egg someone on, usually toward something unwise. Example: 别怂恿他喝酒。(Bié sǒngyǒng tā hē jiǔ.) Don't egg him on to drink.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 恿 with 勇 (yǒng, brave), since both use 甬 and share the same sound. Remember that 恿 has 心 (heart) underneath, while 勇 has 力 (strength).
Common words with 恿
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 怂恿 | sǒngyǒng | to instigate; to incite; to urge; to encourage |
恿 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 恿
How many strokes are in 恿?
恿 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 恿 mean?
恿 (yǒng) means to instigate, to incite, to alarm. A common word with it is 怂恿 (sǒngyǒng), meaning "to instigate; to incite; to urge; to encourage".
How do you pronounce 恿?
恿 is pronounced yǒng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 恿?
The radical of 恿 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 恿 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 恿?
The traditional form of 恿 is 惥 and 慂. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 恿 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 怂恿 positive or negative?
It is usually negative. It suggests pushing someone into something they should not do. For neutral or positive encouragement, use 鼓励 (gǔlì).
Is the second syllable of 怂恿 pronounced with a full third tone?
Both syllables are third tone, so in speech the first one changes to a rising tone: sóngyǒng. The dictionary spelling stays sǒngyǒng.