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惶 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
惶huánganxious, nervous, uneasya, 12 strokes, radical 忄, rank #46542, Very Hard
惶huángfrightenedunknown, 12 strokes, radical 忄, rank #46542, Very Hard
huáng(huang2) T2
  1. 1anxious, nervous, uneasy
  2. 2frightened
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

惶huáng(huang2)

The character 惶 (huáng) conveys feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and unease. It is often used to describe a state of being frightened or unsettled, particularly in situations that provoke fear or worry. You might encounter this term in contexts related to emotional distress or during stressful events.

Strokes12Radical忄Frequency#46542DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese culture, expressing anxiety or fear is often seen as a sign of weakness, leading to a collective cultural emphasis on maintaining composure in stressful situations.

Memory Tip

Imagine a person in a haunted house, their heart racing and feeling anxious (huáng sounds like 'hang' which you might do when scared). The radical 心 (heart) is present, emphasizing the emotional state associated with fear and nervousness.

Meanings of 惶

huáng(huang2)
1anxious, nervous, uneasy
2frightened
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 惶

惶Simplified
12Strokes
忄Radical
形容词xíngróngcíadjective (adj.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 惶

JasonAmy

Podcast: 惶

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 惶

Quick Contrast

惶 (huáng) vs 恐 (kǒng) — use 惶 for anxiety and unease, while 恐 emphasizes fear and terror.

Usage Notes

Common mistakes include confusing 惶 with similar characters that express fear or anxiety but have different nuances, such as 恐 (kǒng). This word is more formal and should be used in contexts where emotional distress is being discussed. Pay attention to tone; using the wrong tone can alter the meaning significantly.

HSK Study Tips

Although 惶 is not part of the HSK vocabulary list, it shares similar emotional themes with other HSK words like 怕 (pà - to fear) and 忧 (yōu - to worry). Students should focus on context and usage to differentiate between these words.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 惶 with 恐 (kǒng) or 急 (jí) due to similar meanings. For example, saying '我感到恐' (Wǒ gǎndào kǒng) is incorrect; instead, use '我感到惶' (Wǒ gǎndào huáng).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 惶

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Etymology of 惶

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 皇 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

heart

Semantic (meaning)忄
+
Phonetic (sound)皇
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 惶

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 皇 represents the sound.

  1. 1The meaning half忄 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half皇 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayheart
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 惶? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 惶?

Decomposition of 惶

IDS Structure⿰忄皇
惶Full Character
=
忄xin1
left
皇Huang2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 惶?

How to say anxious, nervous, uneasy in Chinese

“anxious, nervous, uneasy” in Chinese is惶huáng

The character 惶 (huáng) conveys feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and unease. It is often used to describe a state of being frightened or unsettled, particularly in situations that provoke fear or worry. You might encounter this term in contexts related to emotional distress or during stressful events.

When to use 惶

Common mistakes include confusing 惶 with similar characters that express fear or anxiety but have different nuances, such as 恐 (kǒng). This word is more formal and should be used in contexts where emotional distress is being discussed. Pay attention to tone; using the wrong tone can alter the meaning significantly.

惶 or something close to it

惶 (huáng) vs 恐 (kǒng) — use 惶 for anxiety and unease, while 恐 emphasizes fear and terror.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 惶 with 恐 (kǒng) or 急 (jí) due to similar meanings. For example, saying '我感到恐' (Wǒ gǎndào kǒng) is incorrect; instead, use '我感到惶' (Wǒ gǎndào huáng).

Write 惶

惶

Practice writing 惶 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Grammar Patterns of 惶

惶 functions as an adjective. In Chinese it behaves like a stative verb: place it directly after the subject without 是 (我很高,not 我是高). Use 不 to negate (不高) and pair it with 很 in plain affirmative sentences. It carries 2 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 4

Complete the Sentence

这些图片大肆渲染,会让一些比较年轻的读者们____恐不安。

The pictures were sensationalist and could seriously disturb younger readers.

Example Sentences for 惶 (6)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
这些图片大肆渲染,会让一些比较年轻的读者们惶恐不安。

zhè xiē tú piàn dà sì xuàn rǎn, , huì ràng yī xiē bǐ jiào nián qīng de dú zhě mén huáng kǒng bù。

The pictures were sensationalist and could seriously disturb younger readers.
2
为什么人们对核能惶恐不安呢?

wéi shí mó rén mén duì hé néng huáng kǒng bù ān ne?

Why did people get in a flap over nuclear energy?
3
埃米感到一阵真切、惶惶然的孤独。

āi mǐ gǎn dào yī zhèn zhēn qiē、 、 huáng huáng rán de gū。

Amy felt a moment of pure, panicky loneliness.
4
我听过的种种传说,一层一节都记起来了,越发令我觉得张惶失措.

wǒ tīng guò de zhǒng zhǒng chuán shuō, , yī céng yī jié dū jì qǐ lái, le , yuè fā líng wǒ jué dé zhāng huáng.

The stories I had heard were coming back in disconcerting detail.
5
冯云卿 猛的坐起来,惊惶地反问.

féng yún qīng měng de zuò qǐ, lái , jīng huáng dì.

Feng Yun - ching asked nervously, sitting up with a start.
6
他目前在《新闻之夜》节目中的讲话搞得政客们惶恐不安。

tā mù qián zài《 《 xīn wén zhī》 yè 》 jié mù zhōng de jiǎng huà gǎo dé zhèng kè mén huáng kǒng。

He currently terrorises politicians and their ilk on "Newsnight"

Word Family of 惶

Words Containing This Character11
惶恐terrified
惶huángfrightened
惊惶panic-stricken驚惶
惶惶alarmed
诚惶诚恐in fear and trepidation (idiom); in reverence before your majesty (court formula of humility)誠惶誠恐
惶惑anxious and perplexed
惶恐不安anxious
仓惶in a panic倉惶
惊惶失措to lose one's head out of fear (idiom)驚惶失措
凄惶distressed and terrified淒惶
张惶alarmed張惶
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 惶恐 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 惶

You might say '我感到惶恐' (Wǒ gǎndào huángkǒng) meaning 'I feel anxious'.

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