吓 (xià) is a Chinese character meaning “to frighten”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 下 (down; below), side by side, and takes 6 strokes. It has a second reading, hè, which turns up in 恐吓 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to frighten”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 下
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：共 6 笔，第1–3笔为口，第4–6笔为下）
Memory aid
A shout from a mouth (口) and your heart drops down (下) — that jolt is 吓, being startled. Both parts really are in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 吓唬xià huto scare; to frighten someone吓 = xià
- 惊吓jīng xiàa fright; to be startled吓 = xià
Go deeper
All readings
to frighten
to frighten; to scare; to be startled
使人害怕；受到惊吓。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 吓唬xià huto scare; to frighten someone吓 = xià
- 惊吓jīng xiàa fright; to be startled吓 = xià
to threaten
to threaten; to intimidate
威胁；用威势使人屈服。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 恐吓kǒng hèto threaten; to intimidate吓 = hè
Sound component
下 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 吓 mean?
吓 (xià) means to frighten; to scare; to be startled.
How do you pronounce 吓?
Its main reading is xià. It also has a second reading, hè, which only shows up in certain words such as 恐吓 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 吓 sometimes pronounced hè?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 恐吓 it is read hè.
What parts is 吓 made of?
口 (mouth) and 下 (down; below), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：共 6 笔，第1–3笔为口，第4–6笔为下）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 吓 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 吓?
口. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 吓?
Common ones are 吓唬 and 惊吓. The reading of 吓 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.