Writing
狠 (hěn) — how to say "cruel" in Chinese
狠
Cruel
adjective · verb · adverb
Character composition
cruel
Radicals / Keys
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.
Try remembering 狠
Three short exercises on meaning and pronunciation. Free, no sign-up needed.
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.
Tomyo
Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition
Add 狠 to your vocabulary and remember it with smart reviews, audio and examples.
