懂中文 Dong Chinese

害

hài

injure

Original meaning: 

spearhead

Pictograph of a pointed spearhead. The distinguishing mark 口 was added later. Based on the original meaning "spearhead", now written as 𥎆. The meaning later shifted to "harm" and "injure".

Components
◎ iconic component

◎  Iconic component

  

characterless component

Depicts a spearhead.

口 distinguishing component

口  Distinguishing component

kǒu

  

mouth

Evolution

害 Bronze script Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze script

Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
害 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
害 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
害 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

害  

hài

injure, harm; destroy, kill; to do harm to; to cause trouble to; harm; evil; calamity

Most common words with 害
Freq.
Word
Meaning

伤害

to injure

害怕

to be afraid

厉害

ferocious

害

harm

受害者

casualty

Component uses

Meaning component in 1 character (0 verified)

瞎

Sound component in 6 characters (0 verified)

辖 轄 割 瞎 豁 嗐

Sources

何琳儀《戰國古文字典：戰國文字聲系》p.898

林志強《《文源》評注》p.520