狞 (níng) is a Chinese character meaning “ferocious”. It is written from 犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 宁 (peaceful; calm (also used as a sound component)), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “ferocious”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
犭 + 宁
Left–right structure
- 犭 dog / beast radical (side form of 犬) · quǎn meaning
- 宁 peaceful; calm (also used as a sound component) · níng sound
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 ⿰犭宁（笔画分组据 hanzi-writer-data：犭 3 画 + 宁 5 画 = 8 画）
Memory aid
The beast radical (犭) pressed up against 宁 "calm": the animal looks calm right up until it bares its teeth. Both parts are really written in this character, and 宁 (níng) is also what tells you how to say it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 狰狞zhēng níngferocious; hideous狞 = níng
- 狞笑níng xiàoto grin cruelly; sinister laugh狞 = níng
Go deeper
All readings
ferocious
ferocious; fierce and hideous (of a face or expression)
面目凶恶可怕，多用于「狰狞」「狞笑」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 狰狞zhēng níngferocious; hideous狞 = níng
- 狞笑níng xiàoto grin cruelly; sinister laugh狞 = níng
Sound component
宁 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 狞 mean?
狞 (níng) means ferocious; fierce and hideous (of a face or expression).
How do you pronounce 狞?
It is pronounced níng.
What parts is 狞 made of?
犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 宁 (peaceful; calm (also used as a sound component)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 ⿰犭宁（笔画分组据 hanzi-writer-data：犭 3 画 + 宁 5 画 = 8 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 狞 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 狞?
犬. 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 狞?
Common ones are 狰狞 and 狞笑. The reading of 狞 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.