着 zhe — catch; receive; suffer; part. indicates the successful result of a verb; to touch; to come in contact with
他笑着向我打招呼。Tā xiào zhe xiàng wǒ dǎ zhāo hu.He greeted me with a smile.
Common words: 接着 (jiē zhe)、着急 (zháo jí)、有着 (yǒu zhe)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "suffer"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "suffer", including 着 (zhe), 患 (huàn), 挨 (āi / ái). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "suffer" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 着 (zhe), 患 (huàn), 挨 (āi / ái) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhe, huàn, āi, ái — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 着 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 着 zhecatch; receive; suffer; part. indicates the successful result of a verb; to touch; to come in contact withUseful words: 接着, 着急
- 患 huànmisfortune; suffer (from illness); trouble; danger; worry; to contract (a disease)Useful words: 患者, 隐患
- 挨 āi / áilean to; in order; in sequence; next to; suffer (hunger); endureUseful words: 挨着, 挨打
Common words for these 3 "suffer" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 着 (zhe) — so "suffer" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
接着jiē zheto catch and hold on; to continue; to go on to do sth; to follow着急zháo jíto worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry有着yǒu zheto have; to possess患者huàn zhěpatient; sufferer隐患yǐn huàna danger concealed within sth; hidden damage; misfortune not visible from the surface患有huàn yǒuto contract (an illness); to be afflicted with; to suffer from挨着āi zhenear挨打ái dǎto take a beating; to come under attack挨家挨户āi jiā āi hùto go from house to house
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 "suffer".
患 huàn — misfortune; suffer (from illness); trouble; danger; worry; to contract (a disease)
爷爷患了感冒，正在吃药。Yé ye huàn le gǎn mào, zhèng zài chī yào.Grandpa caught a cold and is taking medicine.
Common words: 患者 (huàn zhě)、隐患 (yǐn huàn)、患有 (huàn yǒu)
挨 āi / ái — lean to; in order; in sequence; next to; suffer (hunger); endure
同学们挨着次序排好了队。Tóng xué men āi zhe cì xù pái hǎo le duì.The students lined up in order, one next to another.
Common words: 挨着 (āi zhe)、挨打 (ái dǎ)、挨家挨户 (āi jiā āi hù)
All 3 characters
Open 着、患、挨 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.