激 jī — to arouse; to incite; to excite; to stimulate; sharp; fierce
听到这个消息，他非常激动。Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā fēi cháng jī dòng.He was very excited to hear this news.
Common words: 激动 (jī dòng)、刺激 (cì jī)、激烈 (jī liè)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "fierce"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "fierce", including 激 (jī), 猛 (měng), 凶 (xiōng), 凶 (xiōng), 狠 (hěn). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "fierce" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 激 (jī), 猛 (měng), 凶 (xiōng), 凶 (xiōng), 狠 (hěn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jī, měng, xiōng, hěn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 激 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 激 jīto arouse; to incite; to excite; to stimulate; sharp; fierceUseful words: 激动, 刺激
- 猛 měngferocious; suddenly; fierce; violent; abruptUseful words: 猛烈, 凶猛
- 凶 xiōngfierce; fierce; terrible; ominousUseful words: 凶手, 凶恶
- 凶 xiōngfierce; fierce; terrible; ominousUseful words: 凶手, 凶恶
- 狠 hěnfierce; veryUseful words: 狠心, 凶狠
Common words for these 5 "fierce" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 激 (jī) — so "fierce" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
激动jī dòngto move emotionally; to stir up (emotions); to excite刺激cì jīto provoke; to irritate; to upset; to stimulate激烈jī liè(of competition or fighting) intense; fierce; (of pain) acute; (of an expression of opinion) impassioned猛烈měng lièfierce; violent; vigorous; intense凶猛xiōng měngfierce; violent; ferocious猛然měng ránsuddenly; abruptly凶手xiōng shǒumurderer; assassin凶恶xiōng èfierce; ferocious; fiendish; frightening凶残xiōng cánsavage; cruel; fierce凶手xiōng shǒumurderer; assassin
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 5 ways to say "fierce".
猛 měng — ferocious; suddenly; fierce; violent; abrupt
他猛地站了起来。Tā měng de zhàn le qǐ lái.He suddenly stood up.
Common words: 猛烈 (měng liè)、凶猛 (xiōng měng)、猛然 (měng rán)
凶 xiōng — fierce; fierce; terrible; ominous
这只大狗看起来很凶。Zhè zhī dà gǒu kàn qǐ lái hěn xiōng.This big dog looks very fierce.
Common words: 凶手 (xiōng shǒu)、凶恶 (xiōng è)、凶残 (xiōng cán)
凶 xiōng — fierce; fierce; terrible; ominous
这只大狗看起来很凶。Zhè zhī dà gǒu kàn qǐ lái hěn xiōng.This big dog looks very fierce.
Common words: 凶手 (xiōng shǒu)、凶恶 (xiōng è)、凶残 (xiōng cán)
狠 hěn — fierce; very
为了实现目标，他狠下心来努力训练。Wèi le shí xiàn mù biāo, tā hěn xià xīn lái nǔ lì xùn liàn.To achieve his goal, he steeled himself and trained hard.
Common words: 狠心 (hěn xīn)、凶狠 (xiōng hěn)、狠命 (hěn mìng)
All 5 characters
Open 激、猛、凶 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.