误 wù — mistake; error; to miss; to harm; to delay; to neglect
这次的错误让他记住了教训。Zhè cì de cuò wù ràng tā jì zhù le jiào xun.This mistake taught him a lesson.
Common words: 错误 (cuò wù)、误会 (wù huì)、失误 (shī wù)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to harm"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to harm", including 误 (wù), 损 (sǔn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to harm" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 误 (wù), 损 (sǔn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wù, sǔn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 误 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 误 wùmistake; error; to miss; to harm; to delay; to neglectUseful words: 错误, 误会
- 损 sǔnto damage; injure; to lose; to harmUseful words: 损失, 损害
Common words for these 2 "to harm" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 误 (wù) — so "to harm" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 2 ways to say "to harm".
损 sǔn — to damage; injure; to lose; to harm
大风损坏了不少树木。Dà fēng sǔn huài le bù shǎo shù mù.The strong wind damaged many trees.
Common words: 损失 (sǔn shī)、损害 (sǔn hài)、损伤 (sǔn shāng)
All 2 characters
Open 误、损 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.