难 nán / nàn — difficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult; not good; disaster
这座山很难爬。Zhè zuò shān hěn nán pá.This mountain is hard to climb.
Common words: 难过 (nán guò)、难受 (nán shòu)、难题 (nán tí)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "disaster"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "disaster", including 难 (nán / nàn), 灾 (zāi), 祸 (huò). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "disaster" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 难 (nán / nàn), 灾 (zāi), 祸 (huò) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span nán, nàn, zāi, huò — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 难 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 难 nán / nàndifficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult; not good; disasterUseful words: 难过, 难受
- 灾 zāidisaster; calamityUseful words: 火灾, 灾难
- 祸 huòdisasterUseful words: 车祸, 惹祸
Common words for these 3 "disaster" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 难 (nán / nàn) — so "disaster" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
难过nán guòto feel sad; to feel unwell; (of life) to be difficult难受nán shòuto feel unwell; to suffer pain; to be difficult to bear难题nán tídifficult problem火灾huǒ zāiserious fire (in a city or a forest etc)灾难zāi nàndisaster; catastrophe灾害zāi hàicalamity; disaster车祸chē huòtraffic accident; car crash惹祸rě huòto stir up trouble; to invite disaster罪魁祸首zuì kuí huò shǒu(idiom) criminal ringleader; main offender; main culprit; main cause of a disaster
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 3 ways to say "disaster".
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)
祸 huò — disaster
平时不注意安全，迟早会闯祸。Píng shí bú zhù yì ān quán, chí zǎo huì chuǎng huò.If you do not pay attention to safety, you will cause an accident sooner or later.
Common words: 车祸 (chē huò)、惹祸 (rě huò)、罪魁祸首 (zuì kuí huò shǒu)
All 3 characters
Open 难、灾、祸 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.