Meaning of 愤怒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- angry
- indignant
- wrath
- ire
How to use 愤怒
愤怒 is a formal, strong word for anger, often used in writing, news, and serious speech rather than for small annoyances. It works as an adjective or a noun. Example: 他的话让大家很愤怒。(Tā de huà ràng dàjiā hěn fènnù.) His words made everyone very angry.
Both characters carry a heart: 愤 (fèn) has the heart radical 忄 on the left, and 怒 (nù) has 心 (xīn, heart) at the bottom. Two hearts boiling at once gives you strong anger.
Common mistake: Learners often use 愤怒 for everyday irritation, where 生气 (shēngqì) sounds more natural, for example 你别生气 rather than 你别愤怒. Also keep both syllables in the fourth tone: fèn nù, not fēn or nǔ.
愤怒 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
愤 fèn · anger · 12 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
怒 nù · anger · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 愤怒.
| 发怒 | fānù | to get angry |
| 气愤 | qìfèn | indignant; furious |
| 发愤图强 | fāfèn-túqiáng | to be strongly determined to succeed (idiom) |
| 恼羞成怒 | nǎoxiū-chéngnù | (idiom) to become enraged over a perceived humiliation |
| 喜怒哀乐 | xǐ-nù-āi-lè | (lit.) happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy (idiom); (fig.) emotions |
| 激怒 | jīnù | to infuriate; to enrage |
| 怒火 | nùhuǒ | rage; fury |
| 怒吼 | nùhǒu | to bellow; to rave |
| 惹怒 | rěnù | to provoke anger |
| 愤世嫉俗 | fènshìjísú | to be cynical; to be embittered |
| 怒气 | nùqì | anger |
| 暴怒 | bàonù | to fly into a rage; to rage violently |
Questions about 愤怒
What does 愤怒 mean?
愤怒 (fènnù) means "angry; indignant" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 愤怒?
愤怒 is made of 2 characters: 愤 (12 strokes), 怒 (9 strokes). That is 21 strokes in total.
Is 愤怒 an HSK word?
Yes. 愤怒 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 愤怒 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 愤怒 is written 憤怒.
What is the difference between 愤怒 and 生气?
生气 (shēngqì) is the everyday word for being angry and fits casual conversation. 愤怒 is stronger and more formal, often describing anger at injustice or a serious offense.
Can 愤怒 be used as a noun?
Yes. It can mean anger or wrath, as in 表达愤怒 (biǎodá fènnù), to express anger, or 心中的愤怒 (xīnzhōng de fènnù), the anger in one's heart.