Meanings of 嚇
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About 嚇
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Podcast: 嚇
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AI Study Notes for 嚇
恐 (kǒng) - use 嚇 (xià) when emphasizing the act of frightening someone, whereas 恐 (kǒng) focuses more on the feeling of fear itself.
Be cautious with the tone; 'xià' has a falling tone which can change the meaning if mispronounced. Common collocations include 嚇唬 (to scare someone) and 嚇到 (to be frightened). It's more commonly used in informal speech.
Although not an HSK level word, it connects to HSK 2 vocabulary related to emotions and actions, like '怕' (pà - to be afraid). Focus on recognizing its usage in dialogues about fear or surprise.
Learners often confuse 嚇 with the similar-sounding 吓 (xià), which also means 'to scare.' Remember that 嚇 is the character for 'to intimidate' while 吓 is often used in more colloquial contexts. An incorrect usage would be saying '我吓到' instead of '我嚇到' to mean 'I was scared.'
Pronunciation of 嚇
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Etymology of 嚇
Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 下 represents the sound. Simplified form of 嚇.
mouth
Jason Etymology Detective
Case file: 嚇
Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 下 represents the sound. Simplified form of 嚇.
- 1The meaning half口 carries the sense.
- 2The sound half赫 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
- 3The giveawaymouth
- 4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
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Decomposition of 嚇
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How to say to scare, to frighten; to threaten, to intimidate in Chinese
“to scare, to frighten; to threaten, to intimidate” in Chinese is嚇
The character 嚇 (xià) means 'to scare' or 'to frighten.' It is commonly used in contexts involving fear or intimidation, such as when someone is startled or when a threat is made to instill fear. The nuance often relates to causing someone to feel fear or anxiety.
When to use 嚇
Be cautious with the tone; 'xià' has a falling tone which can change the meaning if mispronounced. Common collocations include 嚇唬 (to scare someone) and 嚇到 (to be frightened). It's more commonly used in informal speech.
嚇 or something close to it
恐 (kǒng) - use 嚇 (xià) when emphasizing the act of frightening someone, whereas 恐 (kǒng) focuses more on the feeling of fear itself.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 嚇 with the similar-sounding 吓 (xià), which also means 'to scare.' Remember that 嚇 is the character for 'to intimidate' while 吓 is often used in more colloquial contexts. An incorrect usage would be saying '我吓到' instead of '我嚇到' to mean 'I was scared.'
Write 嚇
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Word Family of 嚇
Compound Meaning
What does 吓 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 嚇
You can say '他嚇我一跳' (Tā xià wǒ yī tiào), meaning 'He scared me.'
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