How to write 坏 (huài, “bad”)

坏 (huài), an HSK 2 character, means “bad”, “spoiled” and “broken”. It is HSK 2 in the 2025 syllabus, up from level 1 in the 2021 standard. The traditional form is 壞, 19 strokes instead of 7. On its own it is an HSK 2 word; it also forms 坏处 (“harm”), 破坏 (“destruction”) and 损坏 (“to damage”). Japanese reads it hai, “bowl”.

Pinyin: huài
Strokes: 7
HSK: 2
Radical: 土 (“earth”)
Traditional: 壞

Stroke by stroke

As a left-right character it splits into 土 (“earth”, the radical), strokes 1–3; 不 (“no”), strokes 4–7, written the left part first.

leftrightwards
top leftdownwards
bottom leftrightwards
toprightwards
topdown and left
centerdownwards
rightdown and right

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (7 strokes in Japanese, 7 strokes in Chinese).

Japanese · KanjiVG · 7 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 7 strokes

Traditional form

Simplified: 坏 · 7 strokes
Traditional: 壞 · 19 strokes · see its strokes

Simplified vs traditional

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
huài fourth tone	bad; spoiled; broken; to break down; (suffix) to the utmost	壞	坏处破坏损坏时好时坏

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 2
2021 standard: level 1
HSK 2.0: in a level 3 word
Words with it: 61 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 坏

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
坏壞	huài	bad; spoiled HSK 2
坏处壞處	huàichù	harm; troubles HSK 4
破坏破壞	pòhuài	destruction; damage HSK 5
损坏損壞	sǔnhuài	to damage; to injure HSK 6
时好时坏時好時壞	shíhǎo-shíhuài	sometimes good, sometimes bad HSK 7-9
败坏敗壞	bàihuài	to ruin; to corrupt HSK 7-9
毁坏毀壞	huǐhuài	to damage; to devastate HSK 7-9
吃坏吃壞	chīhuài	to upset (one's stomach) by eating bad food or overeating
坏了壞了	huàile	shoot!; gosh!
坏事壞事	huàishì	bad thing; misdeed

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

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Keep going

HSK 2, in list order: