货 meaning and stroke order
Goods; money; commodity
How to write 货, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 8
Meaning of 货
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- goods
- money
- commodity
How 货 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
贝 gives the meaning and 化 hints at the sound.
Radical: 贝 (sea shell), shared by 63 characters on this site.
How to remember 货
货 is pictophonetic: 贝 (bèi, shell) on the bottom gives the meaning, since shells were linked to money, and 化 (huà) on top gives the sound. Picture money 贝 that can change 化 into goods, and you have 货 (huò), merchandise.
货 usually appears in compound words about trade and goods, such as 货物 (huòwù) goods, 货车 (huòchē) truck, and 货币 (huòbì) currency. Example: 这家店的货很新。(Zhè jiā diàn de huò hěn xīn.) This shop's goods are very new.
Common mistake: Learners often write 化 (huà) instead of 货, or read 货 with the fourth-tone sound of its phonetic but wrong vowel. Remember that 化 is huà and 货 is huò, and 货 always has 贝 underneath.
Common words with 货
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 百货 | bǎihuò | general merchandise | HSK 4 |
| 售货员 | shòuhuòyuán | sales clerk; sales associate; retail salesperson | HSK 4 |
| 货车 | huòchē | truck; van | HSK 7-9 |
| 货物 | huòwù | goods; commodity | HSK 7-9 |
| 货币 | huòbì | currency; monetary | HSK 7-9 |
| 货运 | huòyùn | freight transport; cargo | HSK 7-9 |
| 水货 | shuǐhuò | smuggled goods; unauthorized goods | HSK 7-9 |
| 蠢货 | chǔnhuò | blockhead; idiot | |
| 贱货 | jiànhuò | bitch; slut | |
| 杂货店 | záhuòdiàn | grocery store; emporium | |
| 送货 | sònghuò | to deliver goods | |
| 骚货 | sāohuò | loose woman; slut | |
| 货色 | huòsè | goods; (derog.) stuff | |
| 交货 | jiāohuò | to deliver goods |
货 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 货
How many strokes are in 货?
货 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 货 mean?
货 (huò) means goods; money; commodity. A common word with it is 百货 (bǎihuò), meaning "general merchandise".
How do you pronounce 货?
货 is pronounced huò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 货?
The radical of 货 is 贝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 货 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 货?
The traditional form of 货 is 貨. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 货 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 货 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 货 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Can 货 be used to insult someone?
Yes. In casual speech 货 can describe a person negatively, as in 蠢货 (chǔnhuò) idiot. It is rude, so avoid it in polite conversation.
What does 水货 mean, and is it about water?
水货 (shuǐhuò) has nothing to do with water. It means smuggled or unauthorized goods, such as parallel-import phones, and it can also suggest something is fake or low quality.