坏 (huài) is a Chinese character meaning “bad”. It is written from 土 (earth; soil) and 不 (not), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “bad; broken”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
土 + 不
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰土不（笔画核验：土 3 + 不 4 = 7，与 hanzi-writer-data 一致）
Memory aid
Ground (土) that will not (不) hold you. Both parts are really in this character, and together they say: this thing has gone bad.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 坏人huài rénbad person; villain坏 = huàiHSK 3
- 破坏pò huàito destroy; to damage; to wreck坏 = huàiHSK 4
- 损坏sǔn huàito damage; to break坏 = huài
- 砸坏zá huàito smash and break; to damage by hitting坏 = huài
Go deeper
All readings
bad; broken
bad; broken; spoiled; to ruin; to go bad
不好的；有害的。也指损坏、失去原有功能，或食物变质。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 坏人huài rénbad person; villain坏 = huàiHSK 3
- 破坏pò huàito destroy; to damage; to wreck坏 = huàiHSK 4
- 损坏sǔn huàito damage; to break坏 = huài
- 砸坏zá huàito smash and break; to damage by hitting坏 = huài
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 坏 mean?
坏 (huài) means bad; broken; spoiled; to ruin; to go bad.
How do you pronounce 坏?
It is pronounced huài.
What parts is 坏 made of?
土 (earth; soil) and 不 (not), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰土不（笔画核验：土 3 + 不 4 = 7，与 hanzi-writer-data 一致）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 坏 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 坏?
土. 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 坏?
Common ones are 坏人 and 破坏. The reading of 坏 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.