害 hài — to do harm to; to cause trouble to; harm; evil; calamity
吸烟有害健康。Xī yān yǒu hài jiàn kāng.Smoking is harmful to health.
Common words: 害怕 (hài pà)、危害 (wēi hài)、伤害 (shāng hài)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "calamity"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "calamity", including 害 (hài), 灾 (zāi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "calamity" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 害 (hài), 灾 (zāi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span hài, zāi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 害 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 害 hàito do harm to; to cause trouble to; harm; evil; calamityUseful words: 害怕, 危害
- 灾 zāidisaster; calamityUseful words: 火灾, 灾难
Common words for these 2 "calamity" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 害 (hài) — so "calamity" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "calamity".
灾 zāi — disaster; calamity
这次洪水给村庄带来了很大的灾难。Zhè cì hóng shuǐ gěi cūn zhuāng dài lái le hěn dà de zāi nàn.This flood brought great disaster to the village.
Common words: 火灾 (huǒ zāi)、灾难 (zāi nàn)、灾害 (zāi hài)
All 2 characters
Open 害、灾 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.