How is 狠 pronounced?

狠 is pronounced “hěn” in pinyin.

What HSK level is 狠?

狠 belongs to HSK 6 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

How do you write 狠?

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

HSK 6a,d

狠

hěn

狠 (hěn) means “ruthless; fierce; ferocious; determined; to harden (one's heart); old variant of 很”. It is an HSK 6 Chinese character in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

Stroke order

Practice writingUnlock HSK 6 required

Example

他下定决心狠狠地努力一把。

Tā xiàdìng juéxīn hěn hěn de nǔlì yì bǎ.

He was determined to make a fierce effort.

Words containing 狠

狠心hěn xīncallous; heartless; to resolve (to do sth); firm resolve (as in 下狠心[xia4 hen3 xin1])

More HSK 6 vocabulary

HSK 6 →

挨āiin order; in sequence; close to; adjacent to 癌症ái zhèngcancer 爱不释手ài bù shì shǒu(idiom) to like sth so much that one is reluctant to put it down; to find sth utterly irresistible 爱戴ài dàito love and respect; love and respect 暧昧ài mèivague; ambiguous; equivocal 安宁an níngsee 安寧區|安宁区[An1 ning2 Qu1]; see 安寧市|安宁市[An1 ning2 Shi4]安详ān xiángserene 安置ān zhìto find a place for; to help settle down; to arrange for; to get into bed; placement 按摩àn mómassage; to massage 案件àn jiàncase; instance; CL:宗[zong1],樁|桩[zhuang1],起[qi3]案例àn lìcase (of fraud, hepatitis, international cooperation etc); instance; example 暗示àn shìto hint; to suggest; hint; suggestion

Frequently asked questions

What does 狠 mean?: 狠 (hěn) means “ruthless; fierce; ferocious; determined; to harden (one's heart); old variant of 很”. It is an HSK 6 word.
How is 狠 pronounced?: 狠 is pronounced “hěn” in pinyin.
What HSK level is 狠?: 狠 belongs to HSK 6 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.
How do you write 狠?: Follow the stroke-order animation above; 狠 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

Updated: 2026-07-18