怒 (nù) is a Chinese character meaning “anger”. It is written from 奴 (slave; servant) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “anger”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
奴 + 心
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字·心部（怒，恚也。从心奴聲）；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 核验：9 画 = 奴 5 画 + 心 4 画
Memory aid
A servant (奴) with a pounding heart (心) underneath — pushed around too long, that heart boils over into anger.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 愤怒fèn nùangry; indignant; anger怒 = nù
- 发怒fā nùto get angry; to flare up怒 = nù
- 忿怒fèn nùfurious; indignant; wrathful怒 = nù
Go deeper
All readings
anger
anger; rage; angry; furious; (of forces of nature) raging
生气，气愤；也形容气势猛烈。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 愤怒fèn nùangry; indignant; anger怒 = nù
- 发怒fā nùto get angry; to flare up怒 = nù
- 忿怒fèn nùfurious; indignant; wrathful怒 = nù
Sound component
奴 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 怒 mean?
怒 (nù) means anger; rage; angry; furious; (of forces of nature) raging.
How do you pronounce 怒?
It is pronounced nù.
What parts is 怒 made of?
奴 (slave; servant) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·心部（怒，恚也。从心奴聲）；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 核验：9 画 = 奴 5 画 + 心 4 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 怒 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 怒?
心. 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 怒?
Common ones are 愤怒 and 发怒. The reading of 怒 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.