忽然
HSK 4 (exam 2025)HSK 2 (2021)Old HSK 5
忽然 (hūrán) · suddenly
忽然 (hūrán) means “suddenly”. It is written with 2 characters: 忽 (suddenly) + 然 (certainly). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 忽然 is built
The characters
忽 hū · suddenly
What 忽 is made of
- 勿wù — must not
- 勹bāo — wrap shape
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 勹bāo — wrap shape
- 心xīn — heart
Origin hint: 心 gives the meaning, 勿 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
然 rán · certainly
What 然 is made of
- 肰rán — dog meat
- ⺼ — meat
- 犬quǎn — dog
- 大dà — big
- 丶 — dot
- 灬huǒ — fire
Origin hint: 灬 gives the meaning, 肰 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
天忽然下雨了。Tiān hūrán xiàyǔ le.Suddenly it started to rain.
他忽然笑了。Tā hūrán xiào le.He suddenly laughed.
Questions about 忽然
What does 忽然 mean?
忽然 (hūrán) means “suddenly”.
How do you pronounce 忽然?
忽然 is pronounced hūrán.
Which HSK level is 忽然?
忽然 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021) and Old HSK 5.
Related words
- 忽视hūshìto ignore
- 忽略hūlüèto overlook
- 疏忽shūhuto neglect
- 大自然dàzìránnature (the natural world)
- 然后ránhòuthen
- 虽然suīránalthough
- 必然bìráninevitable
- 当然dāngránof course
- 果然guǒránsure enough
- 仍然réngránstill
Learn 忽然 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 73: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.