很 meaning and stroke order
Very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element)
How to write 很, 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 很
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- very; quite
- (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element)
How 很 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Step.
彳 gives the meaning and 艮 hints at the sound.
Radical: 彳 (to step with the left foot), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 很
很 is made of 彳 (step) on the left and 艮 (gèn) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture someone taking a very big, stubborn step to remember that 很 means very.
很 (hěn) goes before adjectives and is often needed just to make a simple sentence sound natural, even when it does not really mean very. For example: 我很好。(Wǒ hěn hǎo.) I am fine. The common phrase 很难说 (hěn nánshuō) means it is hard to say.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 很 with 狠 (hěn, ruthless), which has the same sound but uses the dog radical 犭 instead of 彳. Another common error is adding 是 before an adjective, as in 我是很高, when the correct form is just 我很高 (Wǒ hěn gāo).
Common words with 很
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 很难说 | hěn nánshuō | HSK 6 |
很 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 很
How many strokes are in 很?
很 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 很 mean?
很 (hěn) means very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element). A common word with it is 很难说 (hěn nánshuō), meaning "".
How do you pronounce 很?
很 is pronounced hěn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 很?
The radical of 很 is 彳, which carries the idea of "to step with the left foot". Dictionaries list 很 under this radical.
Is 很 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 很 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 do Chinese speakers say 很 when they do not mean very?
In Chinese, a bare adjective after a subject can sound like a comparison or feel unfinished. Adding 很 makes 他很忙 (tā hěn máng) a plain statement, he is busy. To really stress very, speakers put extra stress on 很 or use words like 非常 (fēicháng).
How does the tone of 很 change in speech?
很 is third tone, but before another third tone it changes to second tone. So 很好 is pronounced hén hǎo, while it is still written as hěn hǎo in pinyin.