严 yán — (air or water) tight; stern; serious; strict; severe
我们的老师很严格。Wǒ men de lǎo shī hěn yán gé.Our teacher is very strict.
Common words: 严重 (yán zhòng)、严格 (yán gé)、严肃 (yán sù)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "severe"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "severe", including 严 (yán), 剧 (jù), 厉 (lì). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "severe" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 严 (yán), 剧 (jù), 厉 (lì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yán, jù, lì — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 严 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 严 yán(air or water) tight; stern; serious; strict; severeUseful words: 严重, 严格
- 剧 jùdrama; play; show; severeUseful words: 电视剧, 剧场
- 厉 lìsevereUseful words: 厉害, 严厉
Common words for these 3 "severe" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 严 (yán) — so "severe" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
严重yán zhònggrave; serious; severe; critical严格yán géstrict; stringent; tight; rigorous严肃yán sù(of an atmosphere etc) solemn; grave; serious; (of a manner etc) earnest电视剧diàn shì jùTV series; TV drama剧场jù chǎngtheater话剧huà jùstage play; modern drama厉害lì hai(used to describe sb or sth that makes a very strong impression, whether favorable or unfavorable) terrible; intense; severe; devastating严厉yán lìsevere; strict再接再厉zài jiē zài lìto continue the struggle (idiom); to persist; unremitting efforts
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 "severe".
剧 jù — drama; play; show; severe
这部电视剧很受欢迎。Zhè bù diàn shì jù hěn shòu huān yíng.This TV drama is very popular.
Common words: 电视剧 (diàn shì jù)、剧场 (jù chǎng)、话剧 (huà jù)
厉 lì — severe
老师严厉地批评了那个调皮的学生。Lǎo shī yán lì de pī píng le nà ge tiáo pí de xué sheng.The teacher sternly criticized the naughty student.
Common words: 厉害 (lì hai)、严厉 (yán lì)、再接再厉 (zài jiē zài lì)
All 3 characters
Open 严、剧、厉 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.