Skip to content
Start your Chinese Learning JourneyStart Now
怵 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
怵chùfearful, apprehensive; timid, shyzg, 8 strokes, radical 忄, rank #47539, Very Hard
怵chùto fearunknown, 8 strokes, radical 忄, rank #47539, Very Hard
chù(chu4) T4
  1. 1fearful, apprehensive; timid, shy
  2. 2to fear
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

怵chù(chu4)

The character 怵 (chù) conveys a sense of fear or apprehension. It is often used to describe feelings of timidity or shyness, highlighting an emotional state where one is hesitant or fearful. This character can be found in contexts discussing anxiety, fear of the unknown, or a timid demeanor.

Strokes8Radical忄Frequency#47539DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, discussing fear is often tied to notions of face and bravery. The character 怵 can reflect cultural attitudes toward vulnerability and emotional expression, which may differ from more stoic Western interpretations.

Memory Tip

Imagine a timid child (the character's meaning) standing at the edge of a dark cave, shivering in fear (the feeling associated with the character). The left part of the character, 心 (heart), represents emotions, while the right part (出) suggests something coming out, like fear bubbling to the surface.

Meanings of 怵

chù(chu4)
1fearful, apprehensive; timid, shy
2to fear
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 怵

怵Simplified
8Strokes
忄Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 怵

JasonAmy

Podcast: 怵

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 怵

Quick Contrast

怯 (qiè) - use 怵 (chù) when emphasizing a deeper emotional state of fear or apprehension, while 怯 (qiè) often refers to timidity in a more general or mild sense.

Usage Notes

Learners should be mindful of the tone when pronouncing 怵 (chù), as mispronunciation can lead to misunderstandings. This word is more formal and less commonly used in everyday conversation, often found in literary or expressive contexts. Common phrases include 怵目惊心, which means to be startled.

HSK Study Tips

Although 怵 is not part of the HSK vocabulary, it can be related to other emotional words at similar levels. Students should focus on understanding emotional vocabulary and practice using it in phrases that express feelings of fear or apprehension.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 怵 with similar characters like 恐 (kǒng) which also means fear, leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我很恐' instead of '我很怵' can sound awkward; use '我很害怕' instead for 'I am very scared'.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 怵

Premium — Locked

AI tone practice

Pro

Drill the tone of 怵 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.

Tone drillsInstant feedback+5 XP
See plans to unlock

Etymology of 怵

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

heart

Semantic (meaning)忄
+
Phonetic (sound)术
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 怵

  1. 1The meaning half忄 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half术 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayheart
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 怵? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 怵?

Decomposition of 怵

IDS Structure⿰忄术
怵Full Character
=
忄xin1
left
术shu4
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 怵?

How to say fearful, apprehensive; timid, shy in Chinese

“fearful, apprehensive; timid, shy” in Chinese is怵chù

The character 怵 (chù) conveys a sense of fear or apprehension. It is often used to describe feelings of timidity or shyness, highlighting an emotional state where one is hesitant or fearful. This character can be found in contexts discussing anxiety, fear of the unknown, or a timid demeanor.

When to use 怵

Learners should be mindful of the tone when pronouncing 怵 (chù), as mispronunciation can lead to misunderstandings. This word is more formal and less commonly used in everyday conversation, often found in literary or expressive contexts. Common phrases include 怵目惊心, which means to be startled.

怵 or something close to it

怯 (qiè) - use 怵 (chù) when emphasizing a deeper emotional state of fear or apprehension, while 怯 (qiè) often refers to timidity in a more general or mild sense.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 怵 with similar characters like 恐 (kǒng) which also means fear, leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我很恐' instead of '我很怵' can sound awkward; use '我很害怕' instead for 'I am very scared'.

Write 怵

怵

Practice writing 怵 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 怵

Words Containing This Character4
怵chùfearful
发怵to feel terrified發怵
怵目惊心horrible to see怵目驚心
怵然fearful
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 怵 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 怵

You can say '我对这个决定感到怵' which means 'I feel apprehensive about this decision.'

Jason Recommends

Not sure what to learn after 怵?

Jason picks three words from your level and explains why each one is worth your time next. It takes a free account so he knows what you already know.