侯 meaning and stroke order
Marquis, lord; target in archery
How to write 侯, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 侯
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- marquis, second of the five orders of ancient Chinese nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4]
- nobleman; high official
- used in 閩侯|闽侯[Min3 hou4] (the name of a place in Fujian)
How 侯 is built
Pictographic character. A person 亻 who might be a target 矦.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 侯
侯 (hóu) shows a person 亻 beside 矦, which pictures an archery target. Picture a lord standing near the target, so important that everyone aims to please him.
侯 (hóu) means marquis or nobleman and appears mostly in history, titles, and the surname Hóu. It also shows up in the idiom 王侯将相, meaning kings, nobles, generals and ministers. Example: 他被封为侯爵。(Tā bèi fēng wéi hóujué.) He was made a marquis.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 侯 (hóu) with 候 (hòu), as in 时候 (shíhou) and 等候 (děnghòu). 候 has an extra short vertical stroke after 亻, so write 侯 without that stroke when you mean marquis.
Common words with 侯
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 侯爵 | hóujué | marquis |
侯 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 侯
Learning 侯 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 侯
How many strokes are in 侯?
侯 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 侯 mean?
侯 (hóu) means marquis, lord; target in archery. A common word with it is 侯爵 (hóujué), meaning "marquis".
How do you pronounce 侯?
侯 is pronounced hóu, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 侯?
The radical of 侯 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 侯 under this radical.
Is 侯 ever pronounced hòu?
Yes, but only in the place name 闽侯 (Mǐnhòu), a county in Fujian. Everywhere else, including the surname and the noble title, it is hóu.
Is 侯 a common Chinese surname?
Yes, 侯 (Hóu) is a fairly common surname. People sometimes clarify it as 王侯的侯 to avoid confusion with 猴 (hóu), monkey, which sounds the same.