互 (hù) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

互

hù[hu4]Tone 4

mutual

HSK 3

Guru Deep Dive

English · mutual

Cached lesson

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Topology:Single character

Strokes:4

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top horizontal stroke balanced, and ensure the crossing hooks and vertical sweeps mirror each other symmetrically around the central vertical axis.

1. Meaning

mutual, reciprocal, each other

alternatelyinterconnected

Adverb / Bound MorphemeNeutral / FormalBound morpheme#relations#interactions

Sample Usage

我们要互相帮助。
wǒmen yào hùxiāng bāngzhù.
We need to help each other.
互利共赢
hùlì gòngyíng
Mutually beneficial and win-win

2. Sound

/[xu⁵¹]/Tone: 51

互

hùhu4

`(51)

=hù

Initial Consonant

Type: Velar Fricative

Sounds like: h sound like in 'hot'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Gentle throat friction (like fogging glasses on a cold day).

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue approaches the soft palate with air friction escaping.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -u vowel group

Sounds like: oo sound in 'boot'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oo'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, identical to a sharp command like 'Stop!' or 'No!' in English.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse with Tone 2 (hú) or Tone 3 (hǔ). Make sure the pitch starts high and drops immediately.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 4 drops sharply from high to low like a quick nod of agreement or a decisive chop of the hand downwards.

3. Writing

Topology: Single character · Strokes: 4 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top horizontal stroke balanced, and ensure the crossing hooks and vertical sweeps mirror each other symmetrically around the central vertical axis.

4. Components

Radical 二 · Two Radical (two or horizontal line)

Originally depicted two ropes or hands winding together, symbolizing reciprocity and interlocking effort.

一 Top horizontal line representing connection
𠂇 Interlocking strokes showing mutual binding

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

2· Phonetic Root: 互 (hù)

5. History

Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)

Origin: In Oracle Bone script, 互 was drawn as a spool or rope wound around a stick, indicating turning back and forth or winding together, which evolved into the meaning of 'mutual' or 'reciprocal'.

Semantic Evolution: From the physical action of winding and spooling back and forth, it shifted to abstract reciprocity—doing things back and forth for each other.

It is frequently paired with 相 (xiāng) to form 互相 (hùxiāng), meaning 'each other'.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ゴ (go) / Kun: 互いに (tagaini)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

호

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Two interlocking hooks twist together like two people shaking hands with mutual respect.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

𠂢

hùancient variantRare variant form.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

正(zhèng)

正 has a vertical drop down the middle and means 'correct/straight', whereas 互 features crossing diagonal strokes symbolizing twisting together.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我们应该[___]学习，共同进步。

Clue: hù xiāng

Common Learner Pitfall

Using 互 as a standalone verb without a partner word. 互 is almost always combined with 相 (互相) or used in compound words like 互利 (mutual benefit).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 互, what English concept of reciprocity does it convey?

Production: How do you write the character for 'mutual' (hù) with 4 strokes?

互hùmutual

Speed:

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