骇 meaning and stroke order
To terrify, to shock, to frighten
How to write 骇, stroke by stroke
9 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 骇
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to astonish
- to startle
- to hack (computing, loanword)
How 骇 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Horse.
马 gives the meaning and 亥 hints at the sound.
Radical: 马 (horse), shared by 54 characters on this site.
How to remember 骇
骇 combines 马 (horse) for meaning and 亥 (hài) for sound. Picture a horse rearing up in fright, and 亥 tells you it is read hài.
骇 is mostly found in set words rather than alone, such as 骇人 (hàirén) terrifying and the idiom 骇人听闻 (hàiréntīngwén) shocking to hear. Example: 这是一起骇人听闻的案件。(Zhè shì yì qǐ hàiréntīngwén de ànjiàn.) This is a shocking case.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 骇 with 该 (gāi, should) or 孩 (hái, child), which share the 亥 part. Remember that only 骇 has the horse 马 on the left, and its tone is fourth, not second like 孩.
Common words with 骇
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
骇 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 骇
How many strokes are in 骇?
骇 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 骇 mean?
骇 (hài) means to terrify, to shock, to frighten. A common word with it is 骇人听闻 (hàiréntīngwén), meaning "shocking; horrifying".
How do you pronounce 骇?
骇 is pronounced hài, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 骇?
The radical of 骇 is 马, which carries the idea of "horse". Dictionaries list 骇 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 骇?
The traditional form of 骇 is 駭. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 骇 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 骇 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 骇 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 骇客 and 黑客?
Both are loanwords from English hacker. 黑客 (hēikè) is the more common everyday term, while 骇客 (hàikè) is used less often and sometimes for malicious hackers or crackers.
Can 骇 be used on its own as a verb in speech?
Rarely. In modern spoken Chinese people say 吓 (xià) or 吓人 (xiàrén) for scare, and 骇 appears mainly in written or formal words like 骇人 and 惊骇 (jīnghài).