The word 吓唬 is formed by combining two characters that both contribute to the idea of intimidation. The first character, 吓 (xià), primarily means "to frighten" or "to scare". The second character, 唬 (hǔ), historically relates to a tiger's roar or a bluffing threat, adding a layer of menacing sound or bluster. Together, they create a single, more expressive verb meaning "to scare" or "to intimidate", where the second character intensifies and reinforces the threatening action implied by the first.