仇恨
choú hèn · HSK 7
hatred
😠⚔️ choú hèn — sounds like chew hen, gnawing on bitter resentment
仇 (choú) means enemy or foe, 恨 (hèn) means to hate. Together they form a compound: foe + hate = deep hatred or enmity. The chew-hen sound hook: you chew on grudges the way a dog chews a bone — relentless.
仇 — person radical 亻 + 九 jiǔ
A semantic-phonetic compound: 亻 (person) gives the meaning—something between people—while 九 supplies the sound. Originally it meant a partner or match, then shifted to mean enemy or hatred (read chóu). Read qiú, it survives as a surname preserving the older 'mate/companion' sense.
恨 — heart radical 忄 + 艮 (gěn, phonetic)
恨 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 忄 (the side form of 心) signals an emotion or feeling, while 艮 supplies the sound (related to 'gěn/hèn'). Together they convey a strong negative feeling held in the heart — resentment, hatred, or deep regret.