恶 (è) is a Chinese character meaning “evil”. It is written from 亚 (inferior; second (also a sound component)) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “evil”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亚 + 心
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 惡，過也。从心亞聲（简化字 亚+心）；现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（亚6画 + 心4画 = 10画）
Memory aid
A heart (心) that settles for second-best (亚) turns sour — that bad heart is 恶, evil.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 邪恶xié èevil; wicked恶 = è
- 恶劣è lièvile; terrible; very bad恶 = è
Go deeper
All readings
evil
evil; wicked; vicious; fierce; very bad
坏的、凶狠的；也指极坏的行为。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 邪恶xié èevil; wicked恶 = è
- 恶劣è lièvile; terrible; very bad恶 = è
Rare readings, not taught: wù, ě
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 恶 mean?
恶 (è) means evil; wicked; vicious; fierce; very bad.
How do you pronounce 恶?
It is pronounced è.
What parts is 恶 made of?
亚 (inferior; second (also a sound component)) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 惡，過也。从心亞聲（简化字 亚+心）；现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（亚6画 + 心4画 = 10画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 恶 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 恶?
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 恶?
Common ones are 邪恶 and 恶劣. The reading of 恶 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.