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March 24, 2026
坏(壞)huài(huai4)
The character 坏 (huài) primarily means 'bad' or 'spoiled', and is often used to describe something that is in poor condition or damaged. It can also refer to a person's behavior or moral character. In various contexts, it can convey a sense of something being defective or undesirable.
Strokes7Radical土Frequency#433DifficultyEasy
Cultural note
In Chinese culture, the notion of 'bad' extends beyond physical objects to include moral implications; for example, someone with 坏习惯 (bad habits) is often seen as needing to improve their character.
Memory tip
Imagine a 'bad' apple that is '坏' (huài) – it looks rotten and is no longer good to eat. The character 坏 has a 'broken' base (坏) and a 'shelter' radical (土) on top, suggesting something that is not quite right or spoiled underneath its surface.
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AI study notes for 坏
Quick Contrast
坏 (huài) vs 差 (chà) — use 坏 when referring to something that is damaged or spoiled, while 差 emphasizes poor quality or inferiority.
Usage Notes
Be careful not to confuse 坏 (huài) with 好 (hǎo), which means 'good'. Common phrases include 坏事 (bad things) and 坏习惯 (bad habits). The tone is important; mispronouncing it can change the meaning.
HSK Study Tips
As an HSK Level 3 word, 坏 connects well with other adjectives and verbs describing conditions, such as 好 (good) and 破 (broken). Focus on using it in common expressions to describe objects or situations.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse 坏 (huài) with other similar-sounding words. For example, saying '我坏了' (wǒ huài le) when trying to say 'I am good' instead of '我很好' (wǒ hěn hǎo) can lead to misunderstandings.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 坏
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Example
Learning Lab
Knowing 坏 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.
坏 = 土 + 不. What kind of character does that make it?
Decomposition of 坏
IDS Structure⿰土不
坏Full character
=
土Tu3
left
不bu4
right
Exercise 1 of 2
Parts
Which of these is part of 坏?
How to say bad in Chinese
“bad” in Chinese is坏huài
The character 坏 (huài) primarily means 'bad' or 'spoiled', and is often used to describe something that is in poor condition or damaged. It can also refer to a person's behavior or moral character. In various contexts, it can convey a sense of something being defective or undesirable.
When to use 坏
Be careful not to confuse 坏 (huài) with 好 (hǎo), which means 'good'. Common phrases include 坏事 (bad things) and 坏习惯 (bad habits). The tone is important; mispronouncing it can change the meaning.
坏 or something close to it
坏 (huài) vs 差 (chà) — use 坏 when referring to something that is damaged or spoiled, while 差 emphasizes poor quality or inferiority.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 坏 (huài) with other similar-sounding words. For example, saying '我坏了' (wǒ huài le) when trying to say 'I am good' instead of '我很好' (wǒ hěn hǎo) can lead to misunderstandings.
Write 坏
坏
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Grammar patterns of 坏
坏 functions as an adjective. In Chinese it behaves like a stative verb: place it directly after the subject without 是 (我很高，not 我是高). Use 不 to negate (不高) and pair it with 很 in plain affirmative sentences. 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.
One of the journalists queried whether sabotage could have been involved.
11
这个苹果坏了，不能吃。
Zhège píngguǒ huài le, bùnéng chī.
This apple is bad and cannot be eaten.
12
他的电脑坏了，需要修理。
Tā de diànnǎo huài le, xūyào xiūlǐ.
His computer is broken and needs repair.
13
昨天的天气很坏，我们没出去玩。
Zuótiān de tiānqì hěn huài, wǒmen méi chūqù wán.
The weather was bad yesterday, so we didn't go out.
14
这个坏习惯要改掉。
Zhège huài xíguàn yào gǎidiào.
This bad habit needs to be changed.
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Cultural Notes for 坏
💡Did you know?
在中文中，‘坏’不仅表示坏的事物，还可以形容人的性格。例如，‘坏人’意味着‘坏蛋’或‘恶人’。
Word Family of 坏
Words containing this character20
坏huàibad壞
破坏pòhuàidamage破壞
坏人huàirénbad person壞人
坏事huàishìbad thing壞事
坏了huàileshoot!壞了
吓坏xiàhuàito be really frightened嚇壞
损坏sǔnhuàito damage損壞
坏蛋huàidànbad egg壞蛋
坏死huàisǐnecrosis壞死
好坏hǎohuàigood or bad好壞
坏话huàihuàunpleasant talk壞話
毁坏huǐhuàito damage毀壞
坏处huàichùharm壞處
败坏bàihuàito ruin敗壞
破坏性pòhuàixìngdestructive破壞性
宠坏chǒnghuàito spoil (a child etc)寵壞
气急败坏qìjíbàihuàiflustered and exasperated氣急敗壞
坏东西huàidōngxibastard壞東西
弄坏nònghuàito ruin弄壞
带坏dàihuàito lead astray帶壞
Exercise 1 of 4
Words with 坏
What does 破坏 mean?
Frequently asked questions about 坏
The opposite of 坏 (huài) is 好 (hǎo), which means 'good'. While 坏 is used to describe something negative, 好 describes something positive or well. Understanding this contrast can help learners express various qualities more effectively.
Yes, 坏 (huài) can be used as a verb meaning 'to break down' or 'to spoil'. For instance, you can say '这台机器坏了' (zhè tái jīqì huài le), meaning 'This machine broke down'. It emphasizes the action of something becoming 'bad' or 'broken'.
坏 (huài) means 'bad' or 'spoiled' in Chinese. It can also refer to something that is broken or has broken down. Additionally, it can be used as a suffix to indicate something done to the utmost degree, such as in the phrase '坏透了' (huài tòu le), meaning 'extremely bad'.
To use 坏 (huài) in a sentence, you can say '这个苹果坏了' (zhè ge píngguǒ huài le), which means 'This apple is spoiled'. Another example is '他的车坏了' (tā de chē huài le), meaning 'His car is broken'. It is versatile and can describe both objects and abstract qualities.
You can say '这个水果坏了' (zhège shuǐguǒ huài le), which means 'This fruit is spoiled.'
The opposite is 好 (hǎo), meaning 'good.'
Yes, it can describe a person's character, like in 坏人 (huài rén), meaning 'bad person.'
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