字Study Chinese Characters
害

hài harm

10 strokes

害 (hài) is a Chinese character meaning “harm”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 丰 (abundant; lush growth) and 口 (mouth), and takes 10 strokes.

Build the character for “harm”

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Structure

宀 + 丰 + 口

Top–middle–bottom structure

  • 宀 roof · mián meaning
  • 丰 abundant; lush growth · fēng sound
  • 口 mouth · kǒu meaning

Structure from: 说文解字: 害，伤也。从宀从口…丯声（现代字形中间写作「丰」）; modern split verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes 0-2 / 3-6 / 7-9

Memory aid

Under a roof (宀), a stalk of abundant growth (丰) sits on top of a mouth (口) — too much, stuffed in, does harm.

This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.

Stroke order

10 strokes

In real words

  • 害怕hài pàto be afraid; to fear害 = hài
  • 伤害shāng hàito harm; to hurt; injury害 = hài
  • 厉害lì haiformidable; impressive; severe害 = hài
  • 灾害zāi hàidisaster; calamity害 = hài
  • 害羞hài xiūshy; bashful害 = hài
  • 贻害yí hàito leave behind harm; to cause lasting damage害 = hài
Go deeper

All readings

hài main reading

harm

harm; damage; to harm; to injure; harmful

损害、伤害；也指灾祸、坏处。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 害怕hài pàto be afraid; to fear害 = hài
  • 伤害shāng hàito harm; to hurt; injury害 = hài
  • 厉害lì haiformidable; impressive; severe害 = hài
  • 灾害zāi hàidisaster; calamity害 = hài
  • 害羞hài xiūshy; bashful害 = hài
  • 贻害yí hàito leave behind harm; to cause lasting damage害 = hài

Other characters with these parts

宀 → 字宁它宅宇守安宋

丰 → 奉羊邦艳蚌

口 → 中串兄免兑加占古

Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions

Questions people ask about this character

What does 害 mean?

害 (hài) means harm; damage; to harm; to injure; harmful.

How do you pronounce 害?

It is pronounced hài.

What parts is 害 made of?

宀 (roof) and 丰 (abundant; lush growth) and 口 (mouth). The recorded source is: 说文解字: 害，伤也。从宀从口…丯声（现代字形中间写作「丰」）; modern split verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes 0-2 / 3-6 / 7-9. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.

How many strokes does 害 have?

10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 害?

宀. 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 害?

Common ones are 害怕, 伤害, 厉害. The reading of 害 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.