Writing Balance Rule: The left mouth radical (口) occupies the upper-left quadrant and is compact, while the right phonetic component (孔) is taller and wider, maintaining a balanced left-right proportion without crowding.
1. Meaning
to roar, howl, or shriek
roar or howl of an animalbellow of rage in human speech
He was so angry that he started bellowing at everyone.
2. Sound
/[xoʊ̯²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
吼
hǒuhou3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=hǒu
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
hou
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
h
Type: Velar Fricative
Sounds like: h sound as in 'hat'
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 friction, leaving the airway open for a breathy release.
Final Rhyme
ou
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: ou rhymes with 'toe' or 'oh'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oh'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 starts mid, dips low into the throat, and rises back up, resembling an incredulous English 'Really?'
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 syllable, hǒu changes to a Tone 2 (35) rising contour.
👂
Listening trap: Mistaking the low dipping Tone 3 for Tone 4 if uttered quickly in rapid speech, or confusing it with similar rhyming syllables.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down from chest level to your lowest point, then sweep upward to shoulder height.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left mouth radical (口) occupies the upper-left quadrant and is compact, while the right phonetic component (孔) is taller and wider, maintaining a balanced left-right proportion without crowding.
4. Components
Radical口 · Mouth Radical (Mouth, speaking, or shouting)
Semantic Clue (形旁):口 (Indicates actions involving the mouth, vocalization, roaring, or shouting.)
A mouth (口) combined with a hole/opening (孔) creates the image of a wide-open mouth letting out a massive, echoing roar.
口 Mouth semantic indicator
孔 Phonetic clue providing the sound framework
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
3· Phonetic Root: 孔 (kǒng)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the mouth radical (口) to signify vocal sound and an older component providing pronunciation and the sense of a hollow opening or resonance.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to animal cries and loud vocal sounds, expanding over time to include human screaming, bellowing of rage, and howling winds.
The character highlights how ancient Chinese utilized the mouth radical to categorize vocal emissions.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
hống
The rising-falling Hán Việt sắc tone corresponds loosely with high energetic Mandarin tones, though hǒu uses Tone 3.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: コウ (kō) / Kun: ほえる (hoeru)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
후
Sound Shift Bridge: Japanese Kun'yomi 'hoeru' shares a striking onomatopoeic root similarity with Mandarin 'hǒu' for animal barking or roaring.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Imagine standing by a deep cave opening (孔) and suddenly a fierce bear opens its MOUTH (口) wide and lets out a thunderous ROAR (hǒu) that echoes through the mountains.