怕
怕 (pà) means “to be afraid of”. It is made of 忄 + 白 and has 8 strokes, and is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 怕 into its parts
What 怕 is made of
- 忄 xīn — heart
- 八 bā — eight
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 白 bái — white
- 日 rì — sun; day
- 口 kǒu — mouth
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 日 rì — sun; day
Origin hint: 忄 gives the meaning, 白 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
怕 stroke order
Example sentences
我妹妹很怕大狗。Wǒ mèimei hěn pà dà gǒu.My younger sister is very afraid of big dogs.
冬天你怕不怕冷？Dōngtiān nǐ pà bu pà lěng?Do you mind the cold in winter?
Words with 怕
Also built with 忄
- 忆yìto remember
- 忙mángbusy
- 忧yōusad
- 快kuàifast
- 怀huáibosom
- 怖bùfrightened
- 怜liánto pity
- 性xìng-ness (suffix for quality)
- 怪guàistrange
- 怯qièafraid
- 恍huǎngabsent-minded
- 恒héngconstant
Quick facts
| Pinyin | pà |
|---|---|
| Meaning | to be afraid of; to fear; I'm afraid (that) |
| Strokes | 8 |
| Radical | 心 (heart, #61) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 3 (exam 2025) · HSK 3 (2021) |
Questions about 怕
What does 怕 mean?
怕 (pà) means “to be afraid of; to fear; I'm afraid (that)”.
How many strokes does 怕 have?
怕 has 8 strokes.
What is the radical of 怕?
The radical of 怕 is 心 (xīn, “heart”), Kangxi radical number 61.
What parts make up 怕?
怕 is made of 忄 (heart) and 白 (white).
Which HSK level is 怕?
怕 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021).
Learn 怕 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 16: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.