狠 (hěn) — how to say "cruel" in Chinese

狠

Cruel

adjective · verb · adverb

Character composition

狠

cruel

Radicals / Keys

犬

Dog

#94 · quǎn · 4 strokes

Synonyms

Collocations

对敌人狠

duì dí rén hěn

cruel to enemies

Examples

他对敌人很狠。

He is very cruel to enemies.

他很狠。

He is very cruel.

Writing

Try remembering 狠

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Frequently asked questions

Cruel meaning in Chinese

"cruel" in Chinese is 狠 (hěn).

狠 meaning in English

狠 (hěn) means "Cruel".

How is 狠 pronounced?

It is pronounced hěn (written as hen). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.

How do you write "cruel" in Chinese characters?

It is written 狠 and has 9 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.

What HSK 3.0 level is 狠?

狠 is on the HSK 3.0 level 6 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.

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