How is 惨 pronounced?

惨 is pronounced “cǎn” in pinyin.

What HSK level is 惨?

惨 belongs to HSK 6 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

How do you write 惨?

Follow the stroke-order animation above; 惨 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

HSK 6adjective

惨

Traditional: 慘

cǎn

惨 (cǎn) means “miserable; wretched; cruel; inhuman; disastrous; tragic; dim; gloomy”. It is an HSK 6 Chinese character (traditional 慘) in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

Stroke order

Practice writingUnlock HSK 6 required

Example

这次地震的损失太惨了。

Zhè cì dìzhèn de sǔnshī tài cǎn le.

The losses from this earthquake were devastating.

Words containing 惨

悲惨bēi cǎnmiserable; tragic

More HSK 6 vocabulary

HSK 6 →

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Frequently asked questions

What does 惨 mean?: 惨 (cǎn) means “miserable; wretched; cruel; inhuman; disastrous; tragic; dim; gloomy”. It is an HSK 6 word.
How is 惨 pronounced?: 惨 is pronounced “cǎn” in pinyin.
What HSK level is 惨?: 惨 belongs to HSK 6 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.
How do you write 惨?: Follow the stroke-order animation above; 惨 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

Updated: 2026-07-18