沪 meaning and stroke order
Shanghai; the Shanghai river
How to write 沪, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
How 沪 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 户 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 沪
沪 combines the water radical 氵 with 户 (hù, door), which also gives the sound. Picture Shanghai as a city whose door opens onto the water, a busy river port.
沪 (hù) is the official one-character abbreviation for Shanghai, used in compound words, news headlines, and on license plates. It rarely stands alone in speech. Example: 京沪高铁 (Jīng Hù gāotiě) the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 沪 with 护 (hù, to protect), which has the same sound but uses the hand radical 扌 instead of water 氵. Also, do not use 沪 to mean Shanghai in ordinary speech. Say 上海 (Shànghǎi) instead.
Questions about 沪
How many strokes are in 沪?
沪 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 沪 mean?
沪 (hù) means Shanghai; the Shanghai river.
How do you pronounce 沪?
沪 is pronounced hù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 沪?
The radical of 沪 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 沪 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 沪?
The traditional form of 沪 is 滬. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 沪 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 沪 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 沪 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is Shanghai abbreviated as 沪?
The name comes from 沪渎 (Hù Dú), an old name for the lower part of the Wusong River near Shanghai. Over time 沪 became the short name for the city.
What are common words that use 沪?
Common ones include 沪语 (Hùyǔ, Shanghainese), 沪剧 (Hùjù, Shanghai opera), and 沪市 (Hù shì, the Shanghai stock market). You will also see 沪A on Shanghai car license plates.