惹 (rě) is a Chinese character meaning “to provoke”. It is written from 若 (as if; like) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “to provoke”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
若 + 心
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: modern-form decomposition (IDS ⿱若心, verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke groups 8+4=12)
Memory aid
It feels as if (若) someone is poking right at your heart (心) — that is what it means to provoke or stir someone up.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 招惹zhāo rěto provoke; to mess with惹 = rě
- 惹事rě shìto cause trouble; to stir up trouble惹 = rě
Go deeper
All readings
to provoke; to cause
to provoke; to offend; to stir up; to bring (trouble) upon oneself
招引、引起（不好的事）；触犯、挑逗。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 招惹zhāo rěto provoke; to mess with惹 = rě
- 惹事rě shìto cause trouble; to stir up trouble惹 = rě
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 惹 mean?
惹 (rě) means to provoke; to offend; to stir up; to bring (trouble) upon oneself.
How do you pronounce 惹?
It is pronounced rě.
What parts is 惹 made of?
若 (as if; like) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: modern-form decomposition (IDS ⿱若心, verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke groups 8+4=12). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 惹 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 惹?
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 惹?
Common ones are 招惹 and 惹事. The reading of 惹 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.