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 "harm"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "harm", including 害 (hài), 妨 (fáng), 弊 (bì). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "harm" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 害 (hài), 妨 (fáng), 弊 (bì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span hài, fáng, bì — 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
- 妨 fánghinder; harmUseful words: 妨碍, 不妨
- 弊 bìdetriment; fraud; harm; defeatUseful words: 作弊, 弊端
Common words for these 3 "harm" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 害 (hài) — so "harm" 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妨碍fáng àito hinder; to obstruct不妨bù fángthere is no harm in; might as well妨害fáng hàito jeopardize; to be harmful to; to undermine作弊zuò bìto practice fraud; to cheat; to engage in corrupt practices弊端bì duānsystemic problem (sometimes refers specifically to corrupt practices)弊病bì bìngmalady; evil; malpractice; drawback
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 "harm".
妨 fáng — hinder; harm
如果你有空，不妨过来坐一坐。Rú guǒ nǐ yǒu kòng, bù fáng guò lái zuò yi zuò.If you have time, you might as well come over and sit a while.
Common words: 妨碍 (fáng ài)、不妨 (bù fáng)、妨害 (fáng hài)
弊 bì — detriment; fraud; harm; defeat
考试的时候千万不能作弊。Kǎo shì de shí hou qiān wàn bù néng zuò bì.One must never cheat during an exam.
Common words: 作弊 (zuò bì)、弊端 (bì duān)、弊病 (bì bìng)
All 3 characters
Open 害、妨、弊 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.