虐 (nüè) is a Chinese character meaning “cruel”. It is written from 虍 (tiger top (radical)) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇗ (vertical-turning stroke), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “cruel; to mistreat”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
虍 + ㇐ + ㇐ + ㇗
Enclosing structure
- 虍 tiger top (radical) · hū meaning
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
- ㇐ horizontal stroke unknown
- ㇗ vertical-turning stroke unknown
Structure from: 现代字形笔画拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–6 笔为虍，第 7、8 笔为横，第 9 笔为竖折）
Memory aid
A tiger head (虍) crouches over what is left below: two bare flat strokes (㇐ ㇐) and one stroke that drops and turns away (㇗). Nothing under the tiger gets to stand up — that is cruelty.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 虐待nüè dàito mistreat; to abuse虐 = nüè
- 暴虐bào nüèbrutal; tyrannical虐 = nüè
Go deeper
All readings
cruel; to mistreat
cruel; tyrannical; to mistreat; to abuse
残酷、凶狠；用残酷的手段对待人或动物。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 虐待nüè dàito mistreat; to abuse虐 = nüè
- 暴虐bào nüèbrutal; tyrannical虐 = nüè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 虐 mean?
虐 (nüè) means cruel; tyrannical; to mistreat; to abuse.
How do you pronounce 虐?
It is pronounced nüè.
What parts is 虐 made of?
虍 (tiger top (radical)) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇗ (vertical-turning stroke), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形笔画拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–6 笔为虍，第 7、8 笔为横，第 9 笔为竖折）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 虐 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 虐?
虍. 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 虐?
Common ones are 虐待 and 暴虐. The reading of 虐 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.