很 (hěn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

很

hěn[hen3]Tone 3

very

HSK 1

Guru Deep Dive

English · very

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:9

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (1℀) is narrower and slightly elevated, while the right component (艮) is wider and bears more visual weight, keeping the character balanced horizontally.

1. Meaning

very; quite

syntactic link/copula marker before adjectives (often losing strong intensity in casual speech)

AdverbNeutral#degree#grammar#modifier

Sample Usage

我很高兴。
wǒ hěn gāoxìng.
I am very happy.
今天天气很好。
jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo.
The weather is very good today.

2. Sound

/[xən²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

很

hěnhen3

ˇ(214)

=hěn

Initial Consonant

Type: Velar Fricative

Sounds like: h sound in 'hat'

Unaspirated

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

Tongue & Mouth Position: Relaxed tongue in the base of the mouth, air flows freely through the glottis.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -en rhymes with 'pen' or 'hen'

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

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 dips low and rises, comparable to saying 'Huh?' in English when expressing mild confusion or disbelief.

Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 syllable, it changes to a Tone 2 (rising 35) syllable (e.g. hěn hǎo becomes hén hǎo).

👂

Listening trap: Beginners often mistake the dipping Tone 3 for a flat tone because in rapid conversational speech, the rise at the end of Tone 3 is frequently dropped, leaving just a low flat pitch.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 3 dips down like a roller coaster going down a hill and then climbing back up. Trace your hand downward and then slightly up.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes

4. Components

Radical 彳 · stepping radical (step, walk, movement)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 彳 (Relates to movement, action, or state progression)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 艮 (original sound: gěn / hěn sound clue)

The stepping radical (彳) on the left paired with the stopping/firm component (艮) on the right creates a character originally meaning to walk with determination, which evolved into a high-degree adverb.

彳 stepping radical
艮 firm, stubborn (provides phonetic hint)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

20· Phonetic Root: 艮 (gěn)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the stepping radical (彳) indicating motion and 艮 indicating firmness or rigidity, implying a firm or strong degree of something.

Semantic Evolution: Over time, the physical motion sense faded away, and it became cemented as the standard degree adverb meaning 'very'.

In classical Chinese, adjectives modifying nouns or standing alone needed a copular buffer like 'very' (很) to sound balanced, which explains why modern Chinese still uses '很' even when no intense degree is meant.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You are taking STEPS (彳) outside, and it is FIRM (艮) and VERY cold outside, so you tell yourself 'Hěn, it is VERY cold!'

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

很

hěnveryStandard character with stepping radical 彳

恨

hènto hateReplaces the stepping radical with the heart radical (忄), meaning a feeling deep in the heart

根

gēnrootReplaces the left radical with the wood radical (木), representing tree roots

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

恨(hèn)

恨 has the heart radical (忄) on the left because hate comes from the heart, whereas 很 has the stepping radical (彳).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这本书[___]好看。

Clue: hěn

Common Learner Pitfall

Beginners often translate 'I am very happy' literally as 我是很高兴 (wǒ shì hěn gāoxìng). In Chinese, adjectives act as stative verbs, so you do NOT need the verb 'to be' (是) before 很; simply say 我很高兴.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 很, what is its primary meaning and tonal contour?

Production: How do you write the character for 'very' (hěn) using the stepping radical and phonetic component?

很hěnvery

Speed:

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