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 "evil"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "evil", including 害 (hài), 否 (fǒu / pǐ), 恶 (ě / è / wù). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "evil" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 害 (hài), 否 (fǒu / pǐ), 恶 (ě / è / wù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span hài, fǒu, pǐ, ě, è, wù — 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
- 否 fǒu / pǐto negate; to deny; not; clogged; evilUseful words: 否认, 否定
- 恶 ě / è / wùnauseated; evil; to hate; to loatheUseful words: 恶心, 恶劣
Common words for these 3 "evil" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 害 (hài) — so "evil" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
害怕hài pàto be afraid; to be scared危害wēi hàito harm; to jeopardize; to endanger; harmful effect伤害shāng hàito injure; to harm否认fǒu rènto declare to be untrue; to deny否定fǒu dìngto negate; to deny; to reject; negative (answer)是否shì fǒuwhether (or not); if; is or isn't恶心ě xīnnausea; to feel sick; disgust; nauseating恶劣è lièvile; nasty; of very poor quality恶化è huàto worsen
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 "evil".
否 fǒu / pǐ — to negate; to deny; not; clogged; evil
请告诉我你是否同意。Qǐng gào su wǒ nǐ shì fǒu tóng yì.Please tell me whether you agree.
Common words: 否认 (fǒu rèn)、否定 (fǒu dìng)、是否 (shì fǒu)
恶 ě / è / wù — nauseated; evil; to hate; to loathe
今天的天气十分恶劣。Jīn tiān de tiān qì shí fēn è liè.The weather today is very bad.
Common words: 恶心 (ě xīn)、恶劣 (è liè)、恶化 (è huà)
All 3 characters
Open 害、否、恶 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.