狠

hěn

adjective HSK 6 #3,807

Meanings

Tā duì zìjǐ hěn hěn.

He is very hard on himself.

Nǐ děi hěn xià xīn lái zuò juédìng.

You need to steel yourself and make a decision.

Zhège rén xīn hěn shǒu là.

This person is ruthless and cruel.

Tā hěnhěn de dèng le tā yī yǎn.

She glared at him fiercely.

usage

狠 can be positive: 对自己狠一点 means 'be tougher on yourself' — push yourself harder. 狠心 means 'to harden one's heart' to make a tough decision.

memory

犭(dog/animal) + 艮 — looks almost identical to 很 (hěn, very) but with the dog radical instead of the step radical. A fierce animal is ruthless.

狠 hěn