和 meaning and stroke order
(joining two nouns) and; together with; with (Taiwan pr. [han4]); (math.) sum; to make peace
How to write 和, stroke by stroke
8 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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- 8
Meaning of 和
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (joining two nouns) and; together with; with (Taiwan pr. [han4])
- (math.) sum
- to make peace
- (sports) to draw; to tie
- (bound form) harmonious
- (bound form) Japan; Japanese
- to compose a poem in reply (to sb's poem) using the same rhyme sequence
- to join in the singing
- to chime in with others
- to complete a set in mahjong or playing cards
- to combine a powdery substance (flour, plaster etc) with water
- Taiwan pr. [huo4]
How 和 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 禾 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 和
和 is pictophonetic: 禾 (hé, grain) on the left gives the sound, and 口 (kǒu, mouth) on the right gives the meaning. Picture mouths sharing grain at one table, eating together in peace.
In everyday speech 和 most often means "and" or "with" between nouns, and it also appears in words about peace and gentleness like 和平 (hépíng) and 温和 (wēnhé). Example: 我和你 (wǒ hé nǐ) you and me.
Common mistake: Learners often use 和 to join two verbs or two sentences, like 我吃饭和看电视. That sounds wrong. 和 links nouns, so use 也 (yě), 还 (hái), or just a comma for clauses. Also do not mix up the left part 禾 with 木 (mù, tree). 禾 has an extra slanted stroke on top.
Common words with 和
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 和平 | hépíng | peace; peaceful | HSK 3 |
| 暖和 | nuǎnhuo | warm; nice and warm | HSK 3 |
| 温和 | wēnhé | mild; gentle | HSK 5 |
| 和谐 | héxié | harmonious; harmony | HSK 6 |
| 和尚 | héshang | Buddhist monk | HSK 7-9 |
| 和解 | héjiě | to settle (a dispute out of court); to reconcile | HSK 7-9 |
| 平和 | pínghé | gentle; mild | HSK 7-9 |
| 柔和 | róuhé | gentle; soft | HSK 7-9 |
| 和蔼 | hé'ǎi | kindly; nice | HSK 7-9 |
| 和睦 | hémù | peaceful relations; harmonious | HSK 7-9 |
| 缓和 | huǎnhé | to ease (tension); to alleviate | HSK 7-9 |
| 和平共处 | hépíng gòngchǔ | peaceful coexistence of nations, societies etc | HSK 7-9 |
| 祥和 | xiánghé | auspicious and peaceful | HSK 7-9 |
| 饱和 | bǎohé | saturated; filled to capacity | HSK 7-9 |
和 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 和
How many strokes are in 和?
和 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 和 mean?
和 (hé) means (joining two nouns) and; together with; with (Taiwan pr. [han4]); (math.) sum; to make peace. A common word with it is 和平 (hépíng), meaning "peace; peaceful".
How do you pronounce 和?
和 is pronounced hé, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 和?
The radical of 和 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 和 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 和?
The traditional form of 和 is 咊 and 龢. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 和 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 和 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 和 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why is 暖和 pronounced nuǎnhuo and not nuǎnhé?
In 暖和 (nuǎnhuo, warm) the 和 is read huo with a neutral tone. This is a fixed word reading, so learn it as a whole. Similarly, 和尚 (héshang, monk) has a neutral tone on the second syllable.
What is the difference between 和 and 跟 for "with"?
Both can mean "and" or "with", as in 我和他去 or 我跟他去 (I go with him). 跟 is more common in casual northern speech, while 和 is neutral and frequent in writing. 和 also has extra meanings like peace, sum, and a draw in sports, which 跟 does not.