Mandarin TempleMandarin Temple Beta Come for Knowledge. Stay for Wisdom.
Start your Chinese Learning JourneyStart Now
禍 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
禍huòmisfortune, disaster, calamityx, 13 strokes, radical 礻, rank #72937, Very Hard
huò(huo4) T4
  1. 1misfortune, disaster, calamity
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

禍huò(huo4)

The character 禍 (huò) refers to misfortune, disaster, or calamity. It is often used to describe unfortunate events or situations that bring harm or trouble, and can appear in both formal and informal contexts, such as literature or everyday conversation.

Strokes13Radical礻Frequency#72937DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the concept of 禍 is often tied to traditional beliefs about fate and destiny, where misfortune is sometimes seen as a result of one's actions or moral standing.

Memory Tip

Imagine a person caught in a storm, representing the chaos of a disaster. The character 禍 has the radical for 'earth' (土) at the bottom, symbolizing how disasters often arise from natural circumstances. Remember the sound 'huò' by thinking of a 'whoa!' moment when disaster strikes.

Meanings of 禍

huò(huo4)
1misfortune, disaster, calamity
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 禍

禍Simplified
13Strokes
礻Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 禍

JasonAmy

Podcast: 禍

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 禍

Quick Contrast

灾 (zāi) - use 禍 (huò) when emphasizing personal misfortune or harm, whereas 灾 (zāi) refers more broadly to disasters affecting a larger scale or community.

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 禍 with other characters like 祸, which also means calamity but may have different usages. This character is generally used in more serious contexts, so avoid using it in casual conversation unless emphasizing a significant problem.

HSK Study Tips

Although 禍 is not part of the official HSK vocabulary lists, understanding it can enhance your comprehension of Chinese literature and media. Focus on its usage in phrases related to disaster management or storytelling to see how it connects with other vocabulary at higher levels.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 禍 with 福 (fú), which means fortune or happiness. A wrong example would be saying '这是个禍的日子' (This is a fortune day), where it should be '这是个福的日子' (This is a lucky day).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 禍

Premium — Locked

AI tone practice

Pro

Drill the tone of 禍 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 禍

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

spirit

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 禍

  1. 1The meaning half礻 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half咼 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayspirit
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

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

Want the full history of 禍? 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 禍?

Decomposition of 禍

IDS Structure⿰礻咼
禍Full Character
=
礻shi4
left
咼guo1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 禍?

How to say misfortune, disaster, calamity in Chinese

“misfortune, disaster, calamity” in Chinese is禍huò

The character 禍 (huò) refers to misfortune, disaster, or calamity. It is often used to describe unfortunate events or situations that bring harm or trouble, and can appear in both formal and informal contexts, such as literature or everyday conversation.

When to use 禍

Be careful not to confuse 禍 with other characters like 祸, which also means calamity but may have different usages. This character is generally used in more serious contexts, so avoid using it in casual conversation unless emphasizing a significant problem.

禍 or something close to it

灾 (zāi) - use 禍 (huò) when emphasizing personal misfortune or harm, whereas 灾 (zāi) refers more broadly to disasters affecting a larger scale or community.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 禍 with 福 (fú), which means fortune or happiness. A wrong example would be saying '这是个禍的日子' (This is a fortune day), where it should be '这是个福的日子' (This is a lucky day).

Write 禍

禍

Practice writing 禍 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 禍

Words Containing This Character20
车祸chēhuòcar crash車禍
祸huòdisaster禍
祸害huòhaidisaster禍害
罪魁祸首zuìkuíhuòshǒufig. main cause of a disaster罪魁禍首
幸灾乐祸Schadenfreude幸災樂禍
闯祸to make trouble闖禍
惹祸rěhuòto stir up trouble惹禍
灾祸disaster災禍
祸水source of calamity (esp. of women)禍水
祸根root of the trouble禍根
大祸disaster大禍
祸不单行it never rains but it pours禍不單行
天灾人祸natural calamities and man-made disasters (idiom)天災人禍
人祸human disaster人禍
祸国殃民to damage the country and cause suffering to the people (idiom)禍國殃民
横祸unexpected calamity橫禍
祸事disaster禍事
惨祸terrible tragedy慘禍
祸首chief offender禍首
祸患disaster禍患
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 车祸 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 禍

Yes, but it is more common in formal contexts or when discussing serious issues.

Jason Recommends

Not sure what to learn after 禍?

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.