唬

hǔ
verb #11,519

Meanings

  1. 1 to scare
  2. 2 to intimidate
  3. 3 to bluff
  4. 4 to fool

Examples

HSK 3
Bié hǔ wǒ, wǒ búpà nǐ.
Don't try to scare me, I'm not afraid of you.
HSK 6
Tā zài hǔrén, bié shàngdàng.
He's bluffing, don't fall for it.

Tips

memory
口 (mouth) + 虎 (tiger) = to roar like a tiger from your mouth, i.e. to scare or bluff someone.
usage
Very colloquial. Often used in 吓唬 (to frighten) and 唬人 (to bluff someone).

Components

radical
口 kǒu
mouth
口 indexes 唬 in the mouth section and points to the act of voicing: scaring or bluffing is something done through speech - shouting, growling, talking big. Pairs with 吓, 喊, 叫 in the same family of mouth-driven action verbs.
phonetic
虎 hǔ
tiger
虎 gives the sound hǔ exactly. It also drips semantic flavour - the bluff or threat carries a tiger's growl. You see 虎 in 虎口, 老虎; here it both names the sound and colours the meaning.

Stroke Order

唬 hǔ