恨
hèn · HSK 5
hate
💔 忄 (heart) + 艮 (stubborn/stop) — a heart that won't let go
The 忄 radical marks emotion-words; 艮 means stubborn or to halt. Together: an emotion stuck in place — bitterness that refuses to move on. Same 艮 appears in 很 (very) and 根 (root), all carrying a fixed-in-place 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.