妖怪
yāo guài · HSK 7
monster
👹 妖 bewitching-spirit + 怪 strange-creature = a monster or demon
Both halves carry supernatural weight: 妖 means bewitching or uncanny, and 怪 means strange or freakish. Stacked together they name a yokai, the monsters and demons of Chinese and Japanese folklore.
怪 — heart radical 忄 + 圣 (phonetic)
怪 combines the heart radical 忄, suggesting feelings or mental states, with 圣 serving as a phonetic component. The original sense relates to something strange or uncanny that provokes wonder or unease in the heart. It now broadly means 'strange,' 'odd,' or 'to blame.'