激 means “intense, violent”

はげしい · hageshii

Also: get excited, enraged, chafe

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

はげしい

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ゲキ

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 6 · 16 strokes

The story

Water (氵) beside 敫, white (白) over direction (方) beside a striking hand (攵): picture spray flung white as a wave smashes rock. 激しい is fierce, and shop signs love it: 激安 for rock-bottom prices, 激辛 for burning spice.

Used in 激しい (hageshii, intense/violent), 刺激 (shigeki, stimulus), and 激安 (gekiyasu, rock-bottom cheap)

More from Bold & Fierce

• 厳 strict
• 堅 firm
• 豪 mighty
• 猛 ferocious
• 冒 risk
• 烈 fierce
• 剛 sturdy
• 酷 cruel
• 壮 robust
• 敢 daring

Learn 激 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.