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March 24, 2026
忽Hū(Hu1)
The character 忽 (hū) conveys the idea of neglecting or overlooking something, often occurring suddenly or abruptly. It can describe an action taken without careful consideration, indicating a lack of attention or awareness. Common contexts include discussions about missed details or unexpected changes.
Strokes8Radical心Frequency#15217DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, the concept of 忽 often relates to mindfulness and the importance of being aware of one’s surroundings. Neglecting details can be considered a sign of disrespect, especially in formal settings.
Memory Tip
Imagine a person named Hu who suddenly forgets about an important meeting. The character 忽 resembles a person quickly turning away, symbolizing how easily one can overlook something important when distracted.
Meanings of 忽
Hū(Hu1)
1to neglect
2to overlook
Exercise 1 of 3
By ear
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About 忽
忽Simplified
8Strokes
心Radical
副词fùcíadverb (adv.)Part of Speech
#15217Frequency Rank
Podcast: 忽
Podcast: 忽
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AI Study Notes for 忽
Quick Contrast
忽 (hū) vs 漏 (lòu) — use 忽 when emphasizing sudden neglect, while 漏 implies a missed detail or omission.
Usage Notes
Be careful not to confuse 忽 with similar-sounding words that convey different meanings. It is used in both formal and informal contexts, but is more common in everyday conversation. Common collocations include 忽视 (hū shì - to ignore) and 忽然 (hū rán - suddenly).
HSK Study Tips
Although this character is not part of the HSK curriculum, it is useful for students at HSK Level 4 and above as it relates to themes of attention and awareness. Students should focus on its application in phrases and compounds.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse 忽 with 忽然 (hū rán), which means 'suddenly'—the former focuses on neglect or oversight. For instance, saying 忽然忽视 (hū rán hū shì) is incorrect; it's better to use 忽视 (hū shì) for 'to ignore'.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 忽
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How Well Do You Know 忽?
Example
Learning Lab
Knowing 忽 is seven skills, not one.
Its meaning, its character, its pinyin, its tone — hearing it, saying it, writing it. The Learning Lab measures each one from your own practice, on every word you study, so you see what you actually know rather than how much you have done.
忽 = 心 + 勿. What kind of character does that make it?
Decomposition of 忽
IDS Structure⿱勿心
忽Full Character
=
勿wu4
top
心xin1
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2
Parts
Which of these is part of 忽?
How to say to neglect in Chinese
“to neglect” in Chinese is忽Hū
The character 忽 (hū) conveys the idea of neglecting or overlooking something, often occurring suddenly or abruptly. It can describe an action taken without careful consideration, indicating a lack of attention or awareness. Common contexts include discussions about missed details or unexpected changes.
When to use 忽
Be careful not to confuse 忽 with similar-sounding words that convey different meanings. It is used in both formal and informal contexts, but is more common in everyday conversation. Common collocations include 忽视 (hū shì - to ignore) and 忽然 (hū rán - suddenly).
忽 or something close to it
忽 (hū) vs 漏 (lòu) — use 忽 when emphasizing sudden neglect, while 漏 implies a missed detail or omission.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 忽 with 忽然 (hū rán), which means 'suddenly'—the former focuses on neglect or oversight. For instance, saying 忽然忽视 (hū rán hū shì) is incorrect; it's better to use 忽视 (hū shì) for 'to ignore'.
Write 忽
忽
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Grammar Patterns of 忽
忽 functions as an adverb — it modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. In Chinese, adverbs sit BEFORE the verb they modify (我也去, 他常常迟到), never after it. It carries 6 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
Ignoring feelings of tiredness knocks our body clocks out of kilter.
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Word Family of 忽
Compounds5
惚hu1confused, absent-minded
唿hu1sad
淴
鍃
锪huo1a kind of tool
Words Containing This Character20
忽然hūránsuddenly
忽略hūlüèto neglect
忽视hūshìto neglect忽視
忽Hūto neglect
忽悠hūyouto rock
疏忽shūhuto neglect
玩忽职守to neglect one's duty玩忽職守
忽地suddenly
飘忽fleet飄忽
忽必烈Khubilai Khan (1215-1294), grandson of Genghis Khan 成吉思汗, first Yuan dynasty emperor, reigned 1260-1294
疏忽大意oversight
忽冷忽热now hot, now cold忽冷忽熱
忽而suddenly
忽忽in a flash
忽闪to glitter忽閃
倏忽(literary) suddenly
飘忽不定roving飄忽不定
恍忽absent-minded
忽忽悠悠careless
玩忽to neglect
Exercise 1 of 4
Characters with 忽
What does 惚 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 忽
You can say 忽视这个问题 (hū shì zhè ge wèn tí) which means 'to ignore this issue'.
While it often has negative connotations, such as neglect or oversight, it can also describe sudden changes, like 忽然下雨 (hū rán xià yǔ) meaning 'it suddenly started to rain'.
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