吓 (xià) is a verb meaning 'to scare, to frighten', focusing on the action of causing fear. It differs from 害怕 (hàipà), which is the feeling of being afraid; from 威胁 (wēixié) and 恐吓 (kǒnghè), which imply deliberate threats; and from 吓唬 (xiàhu), an informal, often playful synonym. 吓 is neutral and can be used for both intentional and accidental scares.