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惱 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
惱nǎoangry, wrathfulx, 12 strokes, radical 忄
nǎo(nao3)nao T3
  1. 1angry, wrathful
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March 24, 2026

惱nǎo(nao3)

The character 惱 (nǎo) means to be angry or wrathful. It conveys a sense of emotional disturbance or irritation, often due to external circumstances. Commonly used in contexts where one expresses frustration or annoyance, it can also refer to causing trouble for others.

Strokes12Radical忄
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, expressing anger is often considered less acceptable than in some Western cultures, where it might be more openly discussed. The concept of maintaining harmony means that feelings like 惱 are usually addressed indirectly.

Memory tip

Imagine a person with a furrowed brow and clenched fists, representing anger. The character 惱 has the heart radical 心 (xīn) at the bottom, suggesting that anger comes from the heart. The pronunciation 'nǎo' sounds like 'now', as in 'I'm angry now!'

Meanings of 惱

nǎo(nao3)
1angry, wrathful
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

Play it, then pick what 惱 means.

About 惱

惱Simplified
12Strokes
忄Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 惱

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Podcast: 惱

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AI study notes for 惱

Quick Contrast

烦 (fán) vs 苦 (kǔ) — choose 惱 (nǎo) when emphasizing emotional anger or irritation, while 烦 (fán) focuses more on annoyance and 苦 (kǔ) conveys suffering or hardship.

Usage Notes

Be mindful of the tone when pronouncing nǎo, as it is a third tone which can change meaning if mispronounced. This word is more commonly used in informal contexts, and learners should avoid using it in overly formal situations. Common collocations include 惱怒 (nǎonù) meaning 'anger' or 'irritation'.

HSK Study Tips

Although 惱 is not part of the official HSK levels, it can be related to other emotions you may learn at the same level, such as 喜 (xǐ) for 'happy' or 怒 (nù) for 'angry'. Focus on using it in sentences to express feelings and emotions.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 惱 with other emotion-related characters like 怒 (nù). For example, saying '我很怒' (wǒ hěn nù) instead of '我很惱' (wǒ hěn nǎo) can lead to misunderstanding, as both convey anger but in slightly different contexts.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 惱

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Etymology of 惱

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

heart

Semantic (meaning)忄
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

What kind of character is 惱?

Decomposition of 惱

IDS Structure⿰忄⿱巛囟
惱Full character
=
忄xin1
left
巛chuan1
top
囟xin4
bottom
Exercise 1 of 3

Parts

Which of these is part of 惱?

How to say angry, wrathful in Chinese

“angry, wrathful” in Chinese is惱nǎo

The character 惱 (nǎo) means to be angry or wrathful. It conveys a sense of emotional disturbance or irritation, often due to external circumstances. Commonly used in contexts where one expresses frustration or annoyance, it can also refer to causing trouble for others.

When to use 惱

Be mindful of the tone when pronouncing nǎo, as it is a third tone which can change meaning if mispronounced. This word is more commonly used in informal contexts, and learners should avoid using it in overly formal situations. Common collocations include 惱怒 (nǎonù) meaning 'anger' or 'irritation'.

惱 or something close to it

烦 (fán) vs 苦 (kǔ) — choose 惱 (nǎo) when emphasizing emotional anger or irritation, while 烦 (fán) focuses more on annoyance and 苦 (kǔ) conveys suffering or hardship.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 惱 with other emotion-related characters like 怒 (nù). For example, saying '我很怒' (wǒ hěn nù) instead of '我很惱' (wǒ hěn nǎo) can lead to misunderstanding, as both convey anger but in slightly different contexts.

Write 惱

惱

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

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Word Family of 惱

Words containing this character14
烦恼fánnǎoto be worried煩惱
苦恼kǔnǎovexed苦惱
恼火nǎohuǒto get angry惱火
恼nǎoto get angry惱
惹恼to offend惹惱
恼怒resentful惱怒
懊恼annoyed懊惱
恼人annoying惱人
恼羞成怒nǎoxiūchéngnùto fly into a rage out of humiliation惱羞成怒
自寻烦恼to bring trouble on oneself (idiom)自尋煩惱
气恼to be annoyed氣惱
恼恨to hate and resent惱恨
羞恼resentful羞惱
可恼aggravating可惱
Exercise 1 of 4

Words with 惱

What does 烦恼 mean?

Frequently asked questions about 惱

It is used in both written and spoken contexts, but you might encounter it more in literature or discussions about emotions.

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