暴 bào — sudden; violent; cruel; to show or expose; to injure
昨晚下了一场暴雨。Zuó wǎn xià le yì chǎng bào yǔ.Last night there was a rainstorm.
Common words: 暴雨 (bào yǔ)、暴力 (bào lì)、暴露 (bào lù)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "violent"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "violent", including 暴 (bào), 猛 (měng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "violent" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 暴 (bào), 猛 (měng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bào, měng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 暴 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 暴 bàosudden; violent; cruel; to show or expose; to injureUseful words: 暴雨, 暴力
- 猛 měngferocious; suddenly; fierce; violent; abruptUseful words: 猛烈, 凶猛
Common words for these 2 "violent" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 暴 (bào) — so "violent" 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 "violent".
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)
All 2 characters
Open 暴、猛 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.